FDA Limits Johnson & Johnson’s COVID Vaccine Due to Blood Clot Risk

Yesterday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration decided to limit the use of the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. The FDA deemed this vaccine as a last resort for adults who cannot accept a shot from another manufacturer. The reason being? Researchers from the FDA and the CDC found that the vaccine resulted in 60 confirmed cases of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, which can lead to rare but potentially life-threatening blood clots one to two weeks after receiving the shot.

Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, stated: “Today’s action demonstrates the robustness of our safety surveillance systems and our commitment to ensuring that science and data guide our decisions. We’ve been closely monitoring the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine and the occurrence of TTS following its administration and have used updated information from our safety surveillance systems to revise the EUA. The agency will continue to monitor the safety of the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine and all other vaccines, and as has been the case throughout the pandemic, will thoroughly evaluate new safety information.”

Source: NPR