FDA panel endorses Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine booster with 2-month gap for ages 18 and up

A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee on Friday endorsed an emergency authorization for the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine booster when administered at least two months after the initial dose among people ages 18 years and older.

The FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) was charged with weighing whether safety and effectiveness data supported an emergency authorization for a booster shot at two months following the initial dose, stemming from a trial involving 30,000 participants.

The panel’s vote Friday applied to all individuals ages 18 and older, while the panel previously endorsed authorizations for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna booster shots across certain high-risk groups, like adults over age 65 and people ages 18-64 at high risk of exposure and severe COVID-19 disease.