FDA Panel Endorses Another J&J Dose — And Experts Urge You To Get It ASAP
The panel also discussed whether vaccines can be "mixed and matched" and seemed to lean toward saying yes, but no formal vote was taken.
Stat:
FDA Advisory Panel Votes 19-0 To Endorse Booster Dose Of J&J Vaccine
A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted Friday that booster shots should be made available to people who have received the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine. Unlike the authorizations for boosters for the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, no restrictions were put on the J&J booster. The panel effectively said that the J&J vaccine, like the other vaccines, requires two doses to be effective. (Herper and Branswell, 10/15)
Roll Call:
FDA Advisers Back Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Booster
Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration voted, 19-0, to authorize a Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 booster shot at least two months after the first dose, providing some reassurance to the 14 million Americans who received its vaccine and face a higher risk of mild cases than other vaccinated people. The Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee recommended the second shot after parsing the data for five hours. The panel also showed some support at its meeting Friday for allowing people to get a booster shot made by a different manufacturer than the vaccine they originally received. (Kopp, 10/15)
New York Post:
Johnson And Johnson Vaccine Recipients Urged To Get Booster Shot ASAP
Experts are urging those who received the Johnson and Johnson vaccine to get the booster shot as soon as possible after a new study showed a drop in its effectiveness during the Delta variant surge. ... “J&J is a very good vaccine. I also believe it’s probably a two-shot vaccine,” Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, told CNN. “It’s really urgent that people get that second shot pretty quickly.” (Reilly, 10/16)
Also —
Axios:
Fauci: J&J Recipients Will Likely Be Able To Mix And Match Boosters
The Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will likely allow recipients of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 to mix and match vaccine boosters depending on their individual health, NIAID director Anthony Fauci told ABC News' '"This Week" on Sunday. The FDA's vaccine expert panel on Friday unanimously endorsed booster shots for adult recipients of the J&J vaccine. The panel is also exploring the mix and match strategy but hasn't yet taken a formal vote on the matter. (Saric, 10/17)
Politico:
Fauci Tamps Down Concern About Covid-19 Booster Review Process
President Joe Biden’s top medical adviser sought to dismiss concerns Sunday over whether the White House’s vocal embrace of Covid-19 boosters had any influence over the regulatory process. “I don’t think there’s any a political issue there; I think it’s just public health data and evidence,” Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on “Fox News Sunday.” (Niedzwiadek, 10/17)
