Pfizer (PFE +0.59%) and BioNTech (BNTX +1.67%) received expanded U.S. Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) of booster doses of their COVID-19 vaccine to teens ages 16 and 17 last week. In this Motley Fool Live video recorded on Dec. 1, Motley Fool contributors Keith Speights and Brian Orelli discuss how much potential authorization of boosters for this age group could impact the two companies.
Keith Speights: Speaking of Pfizer, Pfizer and its partner BioNTech applied to expand the Emergency Use Authorization of booster doses for their COVID-19 vaccine to include 16- and 17-year-olds and The Wall Street Journal is speculating that, that authorization could happen as early as next week. If this authorization does happen, Brian, how much do you think it's going to impact Pfizer and BioNTech?
Brian Orelli: Yeah. That would be amazingly quick to file this week and get an approval next week. But of course, the initial Emergency Use Authorization was for 16 plus. The 16- and 17-year-olds were able to get the vaccine more than six months ago and so I don't think Pfizer and BioNTech are really going to benefit all that much.
First, booster doses are going to come out of the supply that the U.S. government has already ordered and so I don't think that's going to drive very many additional sales and then second I'm not sure how many 16- and 17-year-olds are really going to get boosters. If they don't have any underlying conditions, they're not likely to have severe disease and so unless their parents are making them go get their vaccine, I think that there may be a lot of 16- and 17-year-olds might skip the booster even though they got the initial doses.
Speights: I would also add it's also possible that what happens with omicron variant could play into this as well. If it turns out that getting your booster does give you significant more protection against omicron, we could see some teens, more teens maybe get boosters then -- or maybe the parents pushing the teens to get boosters then.
Orelli: Yes, I think you're definitely right there.
