FDA advisers recommend booster doses of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine

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(CNN) — Vaccine advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration voted unanimously Friday to urge a booster dose of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine astatine slightest 2 months aft radical get the archetypal dose.

The FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee voted 19-0 to urge the other dose for each recipients of the J&J Janssen vaccine, 18 and older. They asked to simplify the archetypal question being posed by the FDA, which had asked the committee to accidental whether the information showed that waiting six months oregon longer aft getting the archetypal changeable would supply an adjacent stronger immune response.

The FDA volition present see the committee’s advice. Then the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisers volition beryllium asked to see it.

Johnson & Johnson says studies person shown boosting astatine 2 oregon six months tin bring that effectiveness up to 94% and it says its effectiveness does not wane implicit clip successful the aforesaid mode that effectiveness from Pfizer’s vaccine does.

But the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has not been shown to beryllium arsenic protective arsenic either the Pfizer oregon Moderna vaccines, noted VRBPAC seat Dr. Arnold Monto, a prof of nationalist wellness and epidemiology astatine the University of Michigan. “So determination is immoderate urgency present to bash something,” helium told the meeting.

And the CDC’s Dr. Amanda Cohn told the gathering that assorted studies suggested real-world efficacy of J&J’s vaccine was anyplace betwixt 50% and 68%.

“Regardless of whether oregon not determination been waning oregon this is the existent effectiveness aft a azygous dose, the effectiveness oregon extortion of a azygous dose of the J&J vaccine is not equivalent to extortion astatine this clip with either 2 doses of an mRNA vaccine and surely not successful those groups who person present been authorized to person a booster dose of an mRNA vaccine,” Cohn said.

Members of the committee said portion determination was not overmuch information to amusement whether the efficacy of the Janssen vaccine was waning — oregon was beardown to statesman with — they agreed radical should beryllium fixed the accidental for a booster. “I would accidental I hold a 2nd dose booster is needed to boost immunity backmost to the 90-plus range,” Dr. Archana Chatterjee, a pediatric infectious diseases adept astatine Rosalind Franklin University successful Chicago, said earlier the vote.

The FDA has already fixed EUA to a booster for Pfizer’s vaccine for radical who are six months retired from their archetypal 2 shots who are besides either 65 oregon older oregon who are astatine slightest 18 and person a higher hazard of terrible illness due to the fact that of pre-existing conditions oregon due to the fact that of enactment oregon surviving conditions.

And Americans are already flocking to get those boosters. Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention amusement adjacent to 5% of afloat vaccinated radical — astir 9 cardinal radical — person received booster shots.

On Thursday, Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee members voted unanimously to urge booster doses of Moderna’s vaccine to the aforesaid groups.

If the FDA gives exigency usage authorization to Moderna oregon Johnson & Johnson boosters, CDC vaccine advisers volition conscionable to sermon which groups to urge them to. Typically, shots tin beryllium administered erstwhile the CDC manager signs disconnected connected the recommendation. CDC’s Advisory Committee connected Immunization Practices is scheduled to sermon boosters connected Oct. 21.