Johnson & Johnson, the maker of a single-shot COVID-19 vaccine, reported Wednesday that a second dose drastically increased the antibody response to the delta variant, a finding that could sway federal authorities to sign off on booster shots.
“With these new data, we also see that a booster dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine further increases antibody responses among study participants who had previously received our vaccine,” said Mathai Mammen, the global head of Janssen research and development at Johnson & Johnson.
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The company reported that the antibody response against the coronavirus was nine times higher after a second dose than after the first dose. The initial findings from the early stage trials will be sent to federal regulators at the Food and Drug Administration as evidence for the benefits of authorizing booster doses of the vaccine. Still, full authorization for the booster is likely further down the line given the need for more expansive trials.
The single shot was excluded from the Biden administration’s amended guidance last week that would allow people to get an extra dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines eight months after they received the second of two shots.
The researchers behind the J&J booster trial also reported that immune responses remained strong eight months after receiving the single shot, though it is unclear whether clinical guidelines for a booster of this vaccine will differ from those set for the Pfizer and Moderna shots.
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“We look forward to discussing with public health officials a potential strategy for our Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, boosting eight months or longer after the primary single-dose vaccination,” Mammen said.
The J&J vaccine, which was the most recent to be granted emergency use authorization by the FDA, accounts for nearly 14 million shots given in the United States, federal data shows. To date, over 73% of adults have received at least one shot of a vaccine, and nearly 63% are fully vaccinated.
