FDA sets June meetings on COVID vaccines for youngest kids

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration on Friday set tentative dates in June to publicly review COVID-19 vaccines for the youngest American children, typically the final step before authorising the shots.

The meeting announcement follows months of frustration from families impatient for a chance to vaccinate their little children, along with complaints from politicians bemoaning the slow pace of the process.

The FDA said it plans to convene its outside panel of vaccine experts on June 8, 21 and 22 to review applications from Moderna and Pfizer for child vaccines. The dates are not final and the FDA said it will provide more details as each company completes its application.

While questions have swirled about what's taking so long, FDA Commissioner Robert Califf emphasised Friday that the agency can't evaluate the vaccines until all the data is submitted.

“There will be no delays,” Califf told reporters at a health journalism conference. “We'll review the data, hold an advisory committee meeting and make a decision as quickly as possible once we get the applications.”

Currently, only children ages 5 or older can be vaccinated in the US with Pfizer's vaccine, leaving 18 million younger tots unprotected.

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