J&J Says COVID Booster Generates Strong Immune Response

Johnson & Johnson said Wednesday that a COVID booster shot was found in a study to generate a strong immune response

The CDC has said it expects J&J recipients would need boosters, but has withheld making recommendations as it awaits more data.

J&J said researchers found antibody levels increase significantly among people who received a booster shot, compared with one month after they received the first dose, the Wall Street Journal reports. The company will submit data from two studies to a preprint server, meaning that the data haven't been peer-reviewed or published in a scientific journal.

“We look forward to discussing with public health officials a potential strategy for our Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine, boosting eight months or longer after the primary single-dose vaccination,” Dr. Mathai Mammen, global head of research and development at Janssen Pharmaceutical Cos. of J&J, said Wednesday.

“The single-dose vaccine is still highly protective, and we know that - that is not diminished, but now we also know that a second dose given at six months boosts immune responses substantially," Dr. Dan Barouch, who contributed to the development of the J&J vaccine but wasn’t directly involved in the booster information, said Wednesday.