EU agency says blood clot ‘rare’ J&J side effect

It believes benefits outweigh risks

April 20, 2021 10:20 pm | Updated 10:26 pm IST - The hague

(FILES) In this file photograph taken on March 25, 2021, bottles of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson Janssen Covid-19 vaccine await transfer into syringes for administering at a vaccine rollout targetting immingrants and the undocumented in Los Angeles. - Europe's medicines regulator said April 20, 2021, that blood clots should be listed as a "very rare" side effect of Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine, but that the benefits of the shot still outweigh the risks. The United States is also expected to announce its decision on the single-shot J&J vaccine by April 23, as nations around the world urgently try to accelerate inoculation campaigns and revive their pandemic-ravaged economies. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP)

(FILES) In this file photograph taken on March 25, 2021, bottles of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson Janssen Covid-19 vaccine await transfer into syringes for administering at a vaccine rollout targetting immingrants and the undocumented in Los Angeles. - Europe's medicines regulator said April 20, 2021, that blood clots should be listed as a "very rare" side effect of Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine, but that the benefits of the shot still outweigh the risks. The United States is also expected to announce its decision on the single-shot J&J vaccine by April 23, as nations around the world urgently try to accelerate inoculation campaigns and revive their pandemic-ravaged economies. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP)

Europe’s medicines regulator said on Tuesday that blood clots should be listed as a “very rare” side effect of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine, but that the benefits of the shot still outweigh the risks.

The United States is also expected to announce its decision on the single-shot J&J vaccine by Friday, as nations around the world urgently try to accelerate inoculation campaigns and revive their pandemic-ravaged economies.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) assessment came as an EU official promised to have enough doses available to vaccinate 70% of European adults by the summer — a boon for the continent’s sluggish rollout.

Europe’s Johnson & Johnson campaign was delayed after U.S. health regulators said the shot should be paused over blood clot fears.

After conducting a review of isolated cases of clotting among people who received the vaccine, EMA’s safety committee said it found a “possible link” between the jab and the medical condition.

The regulator said its safety committee “concluded that a warning about unusual blood clots with low blood platelets should be added to the product information” for the J&J shot.

“These events should be listed as very rare side effects of the vaccine,” it said in a statement.

Only two countries had started administering the J&J shot before it was paused — the United States and South Africa — with more than seven million doses given out so far.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.