J&J COVID-19 shot gets better boost from Moderna or Pfizer in NIH study
(VOVWORLD) - People who got Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine as a first shot had a stronger immune response when boosted with vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna, a study run by the UK’s National Institutes of Health showed this week.
 Vials of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are seen in the town of Ricany near Prague, Czech Republic, February 25, 2021. (Photo: REUTERS) |
The study, which is preliminary and hasn't been peer reviewed, is the latest challenge to J&J's efforts to use its COVID-19 vaccine as a booster in the United States.
The study, which included more than 450 adults who received initial shots from Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson, showed that "mixing and matching" booster shots of different types is safe in adults.
Moderna's and Pfizer's vaccines are based on messenger RNA while J&J's uses viral vector technology. It comes as an advisory group to the US Food and Drug Administration is preparing to meet later this week to discuss the merits of a booster shot for Moderna and J&J vaccines.