J&J: Shot No. 2 Works

Company's data has not been peer-reviewed, but this is a first step
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Sep 21, 2021 6:58 AM CDT
J&J: Our Booster Shot Works
A member of the Philadelphia Fire Department prepares a dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.   (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Johnson & Johnson released data showing that a booster dose to its one-shot coronavirus vaccine provides a strong immune response months after people receive a first dose, per the AP. J&J said in statement Tuesday that it ran two early studies in people previously given its vaccine and found that a second dose produced an increased antibody response in adults from age 18 to 55. The study's results haven't yet been peer-reviewed. J&J said it is now in talks with regulators including the Food and Drug Administration, the European Medicines Agency, and others regarding using booster doses of its vaccine.

“A booster dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine further increases antibody responses among study participants who had previously received our vaccine,” said Dr. Mathai Mammen, global head of research and development at J&J. The company previously published data showing its one-shot dose provided protection for up to eight months after immunization. The J&J vaccine has been considered critical by numerous health officials to ending the pandemic because it requires only one shot, but fears about the easier-to-spread delta coronavirus variant have prompted numerous governments to consider the use of booster shots for many approved vaccines.

Last week, experts at the FDA recommended people 65 and older get a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine made by Pfizer-BioNTech while Britain previously authorized booster shots for people 50 and over in addition to priority groups like health workers and those with underlying health conditions. Other countries including Israel, France, and Germany have also begun offering third vaccine doses to some people.

(More Johnson & Johnson stories.)

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