Pfizer, Moderna shares tumble on reports US may link vaccines to child deaths
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Mumbai: Shares of major US pharmaceutical companies fell sharply after reports suggested that American health officials plan to link Covid-19 vaccines with the deaths of 25 children.
Pfizer’s stock dropped over 3 per cent, Moderna declined more than 7 per cent, and Novavax fell over 4 per cent overnight.
According to The Washington Post, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) vaccine advisory panel is expected to review the claim next week while shaping immunization policy. Officials are reportedly planning to cite pediatric deaths flagged in the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), a federal database of unverified reports of possible vaccine side effects.
The CDC has, however, stressed that VAERS data alone cannot establish a causal link between vaccines and deaths. Career scientists have also raised concerns, warning that such a move could misrepresent the safety of Covid vaccines despite studies showing they are safe for children.
CDC data from June indicated that at least 25 children had died following Covid-related hospitalizations since July 2023, with none of the vaccine-eligible children fully vaccinated.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) will meet next week to consider the new claims and possible changes to vaccine recommendations, which could include restricting routine vaccination for younger adults without underlying conditions.
In response, Moderna said its vaccine safety is “rigorously monitored” by regulators in more than 90 countries and that no new safety risks have been identified in children or pregnant women.
A recent JAMA Pediatrics study involving over 10 million children aged 5 to 11 who received Pfizer and Moderna’s mRNA vaccines found the shots reduced both infections and hospitalizations compared to unvaccinated children.