Coronavirus Update: J&J Vaccine On Pause Amid Reports Of Clots

Plus: Variants And Efficacy, Veklury Study Halted

 
• By Scrip Team
  
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The CDC and FDA recommended a pause on dosing of J&J's one-shot vaccine. Pfizer/BioNTech's vaccine showed signs of lower efficacy against the B.1.351 variant, but a prominent expert called the data "misleading." Gilead halted its Phase III study of Veklury in non-hospitalized, high-risk patients. And Rigel's Tavalisse may have a shot in the sickest COVID-19 patients despite the small size of a Phase II study.

Antibodies immunoglobulins attacking coronavirus covid-19 influenza virus cell, 3D immune system medical illustration background. Corona virus 2019-ncov sars cell, igm. Coronavirus sars-cov-2 disease
• Source: Shutterstock

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Food and Drug Administration are recommending that health care professionals hold off on administering Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot coronavirus vaccine amid reports of blood clots in several recipients. However, the problem seems less severe than an analogous clotting problem that has cropped up with AstraZeneca PLC’s vaccine and could prove temporary. And even a disappearance of J&J’s product may not threaten herd immunity in the US.

The FDA and CDC said 13 April that they were reviewing data on six cases of a clot in the...

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