Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Johnson & Johnson Testing Vaccine On Teens
CBS News: Johnson & Johnson Testing COVID-19 Vaccine On Teenagers
Johnson & Johnson is now testing its COVID-19 vaccine on teenagers, the pharmaceutical company said on Friday. The drugmaker has been conducting a clinical trial looking at the safety and immune response of its vaccine on healthy adults since September. That ongoing study now includes adolescents 12 to 17 years of age, according to J&J. (Gibson, 4/2)
The New York Times: After Baltimore Plant’s Mix-Up Ruined Millions Of COVID Vaccine Doses, U.S. Puts Johnson & Johnson In Charge Of Facility
The Biden administration has put Johnson & Johnson in charge of a Baltimore manufacturing plant that ruined 15 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine and stopped the facility from making another vaccine developed by AstraZeneca. The extraordinary move by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will leave the Emergent BioSolutions facility solely devoted to making the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine and is meant to avoid future mix-ups, according to two senior federal health officials. Johnson & Johnson confirmed the changes, saying it was “assuming full responsibility” for the vaccine made by Emergent. (Stolberg, 4/4)
The Washington Post: Johnson & Johnson To Take Full Control Of Its Coronavirus Vaccine Production At Baltimore Plant As AstraZeneca Is Relocated
The Biden administration said Sunday that the country will have sufficient coronavirus vaccine doses to meet the president’s goal of enabling every adult in the United States to get immunized by the end of May, despite the contamination of millions of doses at a troubled Baltimore manufacturing facility. A senior administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter, said health officials had negotiated for more than a week for an arrangement, announced late Saturday, under which Johnson & Johnson would take over responsibility for manufacturing at the plant. (Goldstein, Swaine and Rowland, 4/4)
In other news about the Johnson & Johnson covid vaccine —
The Wall Street Journal: Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 Vaccine Emerges As Preferred Shot For Homeless
Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine has found a niche among organizations that work with the homeless, who say the one-dose shot is better-suited for a population that can be difficult to reach twice. The U.S. homeless population has soared during the pandemic. Shelters have become a source of spread as experts puzzle over how to stem stubbornly high infection rates despite an aggressive national vaccine rollout. (Wernau, 4/4)
