COVID-19: Vaccine makers reject Johnson & Johnson’s offer for joint probe of blood clots

*Johnson & Johnson has approached AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna to jointly investigate the blood clotting issues, but Pfizer and Moderna reportedly decline the offer

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

In its move to evolve a joint probe and possible solution to the emerging problem of blood clotting after COVID-19 vaccinations, Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) offer to enlist the cooperation of other vaccine manufacturers has been rejected.

ConsumerConnect had reported the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine has been suspended while government health experts look into reports that six women who received the vaccine suffered severe blood clot issues.

As J&J began to receive these blood clotting reports, the drug company tried to get other vaccine makers to join an investigation.

Johnson & Johnson approached AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and Moderna about a joint investigation, both Pfizer and Moderna declined the offer, reports The Wall Street Journal quoting the people familiar with the matter.

Moderna, Pfizer and AstraZeneca reportedly reject J&J’s offer for a joint probe of blood clots   Photo: France24.Com

A United States (US) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee is currently reviewing the data concerning the blood clot issue, and is expected to make a recommendation about the future of the vaccine later in April.

Six women, out of more than seven million people who have received the vaccine, suffered blood clots in the brain and one died, according to report.

It was gathered that new cases are rising in 21 states of the US, as about half the country  is witnessing a sharp rise in new cases of the Coronavirus despite the fact that millions of vaccinations have been administered so far.

According to data by Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 Tracking Project, 21 states are reporting an increased caseload.

Some of the states have maintained strict virus mitigation practices since the beginning of the pandemic, said agency report.

Michigan is a case in point. The state’s tough antivirus restrictions became a political flashpoint late last year as some small business owners complained they were unnecessary. This month, Michigan hospitals are filling up again with COVID-19 patients.

Health officials say stepped-up vaccination efforts are the answer. In most states, all adults will become eligible for the shots starting Monday, April 19.

Though the CDC data showed that about 30 percent of all adults in the US have been vaccinated so far, a former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) official has said the US may have to live with COVID-19 pandemic.

According to report, although in one of the “miracles of modern science,” the world eradicated smallpox with an extremely effective vaccine.

But former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb, during an appearance on CNBC Monday, April 19 declared that the US is unlikely to have the same result with COVID-19, even with highly effective vaccines.

Gottlieb said it’s possible to eradicate the virus, but it would require nearly everyone to get a vaccine, but recent polls have not shown that level of commitment in the country, report noted.