Pfizer and BioNTech are planning to file for full approval of their Covid-19 vaccine for all of those over the age of 12 after they said longer-term analysis of the vaccine in teens continued to show strong protection against symptomatic cases of Covid-19 more than four months after the second dose.

With no serious safety concerns at least 6 months after the second dose for those ages 12 through 15, the companies said the data will form the basis for a planned upgrade from EUA to supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA).

The European Medicines Agency on Friday said that Merck’s antiviral molnupiravir can now be used to treat adults with Covid-19 who do not require supplemental oxygen and who are at increased risk of developing severe disease.

The pill, known commercially in Europe as Lagevrio, has not yet been authorized in the US and has to be taken twice a day for 5 days. The EMA said it should be administered as soon as possible after diagnosis of Covid, and within 5 days of the start of symptoms. The quick authorization is based on data showing the drug reduced the chance that a newly diagnosed Covid-19 patient would be hospitalized or die by 50%, according to data presented by the company in October.

Pfizer’s pill to treat Covid-19 is outpacing its top rival from Merck not only in terms of efficacy data but now in the size of its US government contract, too.

The US on Thursday announced it will pay $5.29 billion for 10 million courses of Pfizer’s potential treatment, which is the largest single procurement of any therapeutic or vaccine since the pandemic began. And at $529 per course for the Pfizer pill, that’s significantly cheaper than the $2.2 billion the US paid for just 3 million courses of Merck’s treatment, which adds up to about $730 per course.

New follow-up data suggest that AstraZeneca’s long-acting antibody can protect high-risk populations from contracting Covid-19 for as long as six months, beefing up the case for it as a form of “passive immunization” or “passive vaccination.”

At a six-month cutoff for the Phase III PROVENT trial, investigators tracked an 83% reduction in risk of symptomatic Covid-19 after one dose of the antibody among 4,991 volunteers. The company did not spell out case counts on either arm, noting only that there were no severe disease or Covid-related deaths in the AZD7442 arm and two additional cases of severe Covid-19 in the placebo arm (for a total of five severe cases and two related deaths).

About a week after Pfizer asked regulators to expand its Covid-19 booster shot EUA to include all adults, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has scheduled a meeting to discuss the idea.

ACIP will meet this Friday, and is expected to give an official recommendation soon after, The Associated Press reported on Tuesday.

Pfizer and BioNTech’s booster shot is currently authorized for those 65 years and older, or at high-risk of a Covid infection, including health care workers and others with occupational hazards. Before deciding on those limitations, the FDA’s advisory committee on Vaccines and Related Biological Products (VRBPAC) roundly rejected Pfizer/BioNTech booster shots for all individuals older than 16 by a 16-2 vote.

If you thought Pfizer was raking it in with megablockbuster sales of its BioNTech-partnered Covid-19 vaccine — last projected at $36 billion for 2021 — think again.

As the pharma giant sends off its EUA submission for its antiviral pill to the FDA, the Washington Post, New York Times and others are reporting that the US government is planning a $5 billion contract to purchase 10 million courses of the treatment, dubbed Paxlovid.