Johnson Johnson applies to US regulator for booster shot approval amid efficacy concerns over single-jab Covid vaccine

Pharma giant Johnson & Johnson has requested emergency authorization of a booster shot for its single-dose Covid vaccine with the US medicines regulator. The move comes amid concerns that the efficacy of all jabs wanes over time.

On Tuesday, Johnson & Johnson said in a press release that it had submitted data to the US Food and Drug Administration to support the use of a booster shot for its Covid vaccine in people aged 18 and over.

The application comes amid concerns that the efficacy of all vaccines, including J&J’s one-shot inoculation, wanes over time.

The pharma giant’s submission includes data from a US study that shows a booster shot increased protection against moderate to severe Covid to 94%. The 94% figure was achieved by analyzing the prevalence of moderate to severe Covid among people who had been given a booster shot 56 days after the primary dose. 

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J&J also claim the booster shot hugely increases the prevalence of antibodies, deemed an important part of the body’s response to the virus. When the booster was given six months after the primary dose, “antibody levels increased nine-fold one week after the booster and continued to climb to 12-fold higher four weeks after the booster.”

“We continue to recognize that a single-shot Covid-19 vaccine that provides strong and long-lasting protection remains a crucial component to vaccinating the global population,” said Mathai Mammen, the global head of Janssen Research & Development, a J&J offshoot.

While the J&J vaccine has been widely used in the fight against Covid, concerns have been raised that its efficacy is lower than other shots, notably two-shot vaccines. The shot has also been linked with a number of side effects, including cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, as well as splanchnic vein thrombosis â€" clots that target the brain and the abdomen respectively.

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