By Denise Chow -
NBC News
A federal study of mixing doses of different coronavirus vaccines revealed that it is safe and effective to do so, highlighting that the mixture of Moderna and Pfizer elicits a stronger immune system response than Johnson & Johnson.
Vaccine combination refers to the technique of administering
a booster dose of a vaccine developed by a pharmacist other than that used in the first doses.
A worker puts up posters over a COVID-19 vaccination center in Reading, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 14, 2021.Matt Rourke / AP
The study was prepared by the National Institutes of Health, was published this Wednesday and has not yet been reviewed by experts.
It found that people immunized with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine
produced higher antibody levels after receiving a booster dose manufactured by Moderna or Pfizer
, compared to a booster dose from that same pharmaceutical company.
[They ask states to prepare to immunize children against COVID-19 if the Pfizer vaccine is approved]
The researchers observed that people who were originally vaccinated with the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines and who received the booster vaccine from either of the other two companies created comparatively strong immune responses.
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The results will be presented to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee on Friday.
The group has also met since Thursday to study the possibility of recommending the authorization of a booster vaccine for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
The study, accredited by 37 physicians and academics, followed 458 volunteers and measured their antibody levels at two and four weeks after receiving the booster doses.
These vaccines were administered four to six months after the original vaccines.
Participants were divided into different groups based on their original vaccines and received one of three boosters made by Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson.
