The European Medicines Agency said on Wednesday that Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine can be used for booster doses at least two months after the first dose in people 18 and older. “The recommendation follows data showing that a booster dose […] causes an increase in antibodies. “
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Wednesday that Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine can be used for booster doses at least two months after the first dose in people 18 years and older. “The recommendation follows data showing that a booster dose of the Janssen Covid-19 vaccine given at least two months after the first dose in adults resulted in an increase in antibodies to SARS-CoV-2,” said the EMA indicated in a press release. “The risk of thrombosis in association with thrombocytopenia (TTS) or other very rare undesirable effects after a booster is not known and is the subject of careful monitoring,” said the EMA.
Third vaccine authorized for the booster
This is the third vaccine, after those from Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna, that can be used in the EU for a booster in adults. The Amsterdam-based EMA recommends its administration at least two months after the single-dose injection of the Johnson & Johnson Janssen vaccine. The EMA Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) also concluded that a booster dose with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine can be given after two doses of any of the mRNA vaccines authorized in the EU, Pfizer or Moderna.
The administration of a booster dose of a vaccine against Covid-19 different from that received during the first injections in some cases elicits a stronger immune response, according to European health authorities. The EMA has so far approved four vaccines for adults in the European Union: the messenger RNA vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, and the viral vector vaccines from AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson.