Safety of Administration of BNT162b2 mRNA (Pfizer-BioNTech) COVID-19 Vaccine in Youths and Young Adults with a History of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia and Allergy to PEG-Asparaginase

Vaccination is a critical tool in the prevention of COVID-19 infection for individuals and for communities. The mRNA vaccines contain polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a stabilizer. Currently in North America only the BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) mRNA vaccine is approved individuals 12 to 17 years of age. Most patients treated with contemporary regimens for acute lymphoblastic leukemia receive Peg-asparaginase and 10-30% will develop allergic reactions. Optimizing access and safety for vaccine administration for these patients critical. This report describes a process developed to support COVID vaccination in a cohort of adolescents and young adults with a history of PEG-asparaginase allergy.