Drug Discovery and Development

J&J reportedly asked COVID-19 vaccine developers to study blood clot risks  

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Coronavirus vaccine

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Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) privately contacted other COVID-19 vaccine makers last week to gauge their interest in studying blood clot risks, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Specifically, the company asked whether its rivals — AstraZeneca, Moderna and Pfizer— had new information about blood clots following vaccination and if they were interested in forming an external panel to examine the issue, according to the article citing anonymous sources. 

None of the four companies have confirmed nor denied the report. 

J&J researchers did state in NEJM that there is insufficient evidence to link six cases of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) paired with low platelet counts to the company’s COVID-19 vaccine. Approximately seven million people in the U.S. have received the vaccine. 

AstraZeneca (LON:AZN) is said to have been interested in allying with J&J to study vaccine benefits and risks. Pfizer and Moderna apparently didn’t. According to federal regulators, cases of CVST haven’t been observed in recipients of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. 

Some physicians suspect that AstraZeneca’s ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine can lead to rare cases of acute thrombocytopenia and thrombosis, although a causal association has not been established, as another recent NEJM article concluded. 

Last September, nine vaccine developers, including J&J, Pfizer and Moderna, pledged to ensure their vaccines were safe and effective before filing for regulatory authorization. 

In the EU and U.K., blood clots affecting a small number of AstraZeneca recipients have led to constrained use of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine, which the company developed jointly with Oxford University. 

Filed Under: Infectious Disease
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About The Author

Brian Buntz

As the pharma and biotech editor at WTWH Media, Brian has almost two decades of experience in B2B media, with a focus on healthcare and technology. While he has long maintained a keen interest in AI, more recently Brian has made making data analysis a central focus, and is exploring tools ranging from NLP and clustering to predictive analytics.

Throughout his 18-year tenure, Brian has covered an array of life science topics, including clinical trials, medical devices, and drug discovery and development. Prior to WTWH, he held the title of content director at Informa, where he focused on topics such as connected devices, cybersecurity, AI and Industry 4.0. A dedicated decade at UBM saw Brian providing in-depth coverage of the medical device sector. Engage with Brian on LinkedIn or drop him an email at bbuntz@wtwhmedia.com.

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