Use of Janssen vaccine in the United States is temporarily suspended

19/04/2021


As of 12 April 2021, more than 6.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine had been administered
in the United States. Six events related to severe clotting disorders, known as cerebral venous sinus thrombosis
(CVST), were reported in combination with low blood platelet levels (thrombocytopenia) in people receiving this
vaccine. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in
a joint statement, recommended temporarily discontinuing use of the vaccine, pending a detailed review by the
Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of cases under investigation, until the Committee has a clear
recommendation on how to proceed.


All six cases occurred in women between the ages of 18 and 48. Symptoms occurred 6 to 13 days after vaccination.
Because the treatment for this type of blood clotting is not the one typically used, since administering heparin is very
dangerous, health care providers have been alerted to choose alternative treatments. At the same time, people who
had recently been vaccinated with the Janssen vaccine were told to be alert to possible symptoms of severe
headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath, and to seek immediate medical attention if experiencing
any of these symptoms.


Johnson & Johnson announced that it will postpone delivery of its vaccine in European Union countries
The ACIP met on 14 April (and will do so again on 23 April), but did not reach any conclusions, indicating that it
needed more time to review information on potential health risks before voting on a recommendation. From 30
March to 1 April, 3.7 million doses of Janssen vaccine – 52% of all Janssen doses – had been administered, and
people who have been vaccinated are still in the post-vaccination time window for possible thrombocytopenic
thrombotic events.


Sources:
https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/joint-cdc-and-fda-statement-johnson-johnson-covid-19-vaccine

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/meetings/slides-2021-04.html

https://emergency.cdc.gov/han/2021/han00442.asp

  • Share: