Pfizer Begins Clinical Trial of COVID-19 Vaccine for Pregnant Women

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizer is starting clinical trials of the COVID-19 vaccine on pregnant women. Pregnant women have mostly been excluded from vaccination in many countries because they were not included in the clinical trials during the vaccine development process.

According to major foreign media on the 18th (local time), Pfizer announced plans to conduct Phase 2/3 clinical trials targeting pregnant women between 24 and 34 weeks of pregnancy. Pfizer explained, "This clinical trial will take 7 to 10 months."

As confusion grows over vaccinating pregnant women against COVID-19, the safety of the vaccine is expected to be confirmed through this clinical trial.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that pregnant women who are not at high risk of infection or do not have underlying conditions should not receive the vaccine, but the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a recommendation that vaccination can be done after consulting a doctor.

Pfizer also plans to soon conduct separate clinical trials targeting children aged 5 to 11 to verify whether it is safe for children to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.