Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 Vaccine Deemed Safe in Initial FDA Review

The FDA announced this morning that the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine appears to be safe. In a global trial, the vaccine was found to be 66.9% effective against moderate-to-severe disease two weeks post-vaccination. Common side effects include pain at injection site, headache, fatigue and “mild to moderate” myalgia that usually disappears after two days. They also found “no specific safety concerns identified by age, race, or ethnicity.” Most notably, no Covid-related deaths have occurred in vaccinated individuals as of February 5th. The single-dose vaccine was ultimately determined to have a “favorable safety profile with no specific concerns identified that would preclude issuance of an Emergency Use Authorization.” The vaccine still needs to undergo a review by an independent FDA committee in order to be approved for those ages 18 and older. Johnson & Johnson is on track to become the third vaccine to get EUA in the U.S.