PFIZER AND BIONTECH have submitted a request for European Union drug regulators to extend the approval of the companies’ coronavirus vaccine to include children aged 12 to 15.

In a statement today, the two companies said their submission to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) was based on an advanced study in more than 2,000 adolescents that showed the vaccine to be safe and effective.

The children will continue to be monitored for longer-term protection and safety for another two years.

The move could offer younger and less at-risk populations in Europe access to the jabs for the first time.

BioNTech and Pfizer had previously requested their emergency use authorisation with the US Food and Drug Administration to be extended to children aged 12-15.

The Covid-19 vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech was the first to be approved by the EMA in December, when it was licensed for anyone aged 16 and over across the 27-nation EU.