PremiumThe European Union’s drug regulator said it has started a safety review to assess cases of blood clots in people who received Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine.
Four serious cases of unusual clots accompanied by low blood platelets, one of which was fatal, have emerged after vaccination with the J&J shot, the European Medicines Agency said Friday. One happened during a clinical trial -- at the time, J&J said it had found no evidence the vaccine was at fault -- and three others occurred in the U.S., where the shot is being widely used.
Premium Though J&J’s shot is approved in the EU, its rollout in the bloc isn’t expected to start until later this month. Still, the EU is relying on the one-shot vaccine to boost its immunization drive amid restrictions in some countries on use of the AstraZeneca Plc shot. Separately, the regulator said it doesn’t yet have enough evidence to approve the Russian Sputnik V vaccine.
J&J representatives didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment. The drugmaker’s vaccine uses similar technology to AstraZeneca’s shot, which EU and U.K. drug regulators have linked to an extremely rare blood-clotting disorder.
This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.
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