FDA panel endorses wide use of Johnson & Johnson booster shot
A booster shot of the nation’s only single-dose COVID-19 vaccine, from Johnson & Johnson, should be given sooner and to more Americans than either the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, a federal advisory committee recommended unanimously Friday.
A second shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine would be available to anyone 18 and older as soon as two months after their single dose if federal regulators follow the recommendation. The decision came after many of the 19 doctors on the committee said Johnson & Johnson should be considered a two-dose vaccine.
A booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine was approved last month, but only for those 65 and older, unless they are deemed to be at a greater risk for the deadly virus because of a medical condition or job. The advisory committee proposed the same restrictions for a half-dose booster for those who received the Moderna vaccine.
The final decision on the booster shots is up to federal regulators, who typically follow the advisory committee’s recommendations.
All of the vaccines approved for use in the United States are considered effective in preventing hospitalizations or death from COVID-19. But studies have shown the two-dose Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which use a different technology, offer more protection.
Booster shots must be the same type of vaccine as originally received under the guidelines set by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention used by Utah and much of the rest of the country, although San Francisco as well as other countries allow residents to get a different vaccine as a booster shot.
What’s known as “mixing and matching” vaccines was discussed by the advisory committee Friday, but no vote was expected. A National Institutes of Health study released this week showed Pfizer and especially Moderna booster shots produced more benefits than a second shot of Johnson & Johnson.
Dr. Peter Marks, head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine office, said before the advisory committee’s vote it was “possible” Johnson & Johnson recipients would be able to get another vaccine as a booster but gave no timeline.
Marks also said the issue of whether Johnson & Johnson should be a two-dose vaccine would be taken under advisement.
This story will be updated.
Who can get a Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 booster shot?
Source: Gabriella Pinoys
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