The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday announced it will restrict the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to adults who cannot receive mRNA vaccines, due to the risk of potentially life-threatening side effects.
The agency said the COVID-19 vaccine can now only be administered to people aged 18 years of age and older who can’t receive either the two-shot Moderna or Pfizer vaccines, which use mRNA technology. J&J’s single-shot vaccine uses adenovirus technology.
People who are aged 18 and older who want to receive the J&J vaccine “because they would otherwise not receive a COVID-19 vaccine” can also get it, according to the FDA’s news release. The agency did not elaborate.
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