Pharmaceutical Johnson & Johnson reported on Thursday that federal health authorities have extended
the expiration date of millions of doses of its
COVID-19
vaccine for six more weeks
.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concluded that
the vaccines remain safe and effective for at least four and a half months,
thus revising their decision last February, when they indicated that they can be stored at normal levels. refrigeration only for three months.
Thursday's announcement comes after state officials warned that millions of stored doses of this vaccine would expire before the end of the month with no possibility of administering them due to lack of demand.
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Vaccine expiration dates are based on information provided by drug manufacturers about how long vaccines stay at the proper strength.
Johnson & Johnson said the FDA totaled those six weeks based on data from ongoing studies evaluating the stability of the vaccine.
[Millions of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines expire in June, moving away from Biden's goal of vaccinating 70% of the US]
The FDA has been reviewing the expiration dates of the three vaccines licensed in the United States as companies have continued to test batch by batch since they were first released.
The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, licensed in December, have a six-month shelf life.
The Johnson & Johnson extension will help maintain vaccine supplies even as the number of citizens being inoculated has decreased.
The United States recorded an average of about 800,000 injections a day last week.
That's less than the nearly two million high of two months ago.
Government officials and businesses have used incentives to jumpstart vaccination, such as paying time off and even $ 1 million lottery prizes.
As the vaccination pace slows, it seems less likely that President Joe Biden's goal of having 70% of adults partially vaccinated by July 4 will be met.
About 64% of citizens over the age of 18 have received at least one dose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 Vaccine Is Again Available: Here Are The Experts' Reasons For Reactivating Its Use]
There was a lot of expectation with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine because it requires a single dose, unlike Pfizer and Moderna, and its lower refrigeration needs make it easier to transport.
It was thus expected to play a key role in vaccination campaigns in rural areas and low-income countries with limited healthcare infrastructure, such as Latin America.
But Pfizer and Moderna, which started sending injections months earlier,
have already supplied more than enough doses to meet all of the country's demand.
More than 129 million people have been fully vaccinated with the companies' two-dose injections.
By comparison, only 11 million have been vaccinated with Johnson & Johnson.
Use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been affected by its link to a rare blood clot disorder.
This problem led the health authorities to pause the use of the vaccine for 11 days.
They lifted the suspension in late April after concluding that the vaccine's benefits outweighed its risks.
