Johnson & Johnson postpones vaccination start in Europe

The US pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson is delaying the delivery of its vaccine in Europe because of possible serious side effects. The authorities in the USA had previously recommended a vaccination freeze because of six cases of thrombosis.

The US pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson is postponing the launch of its vaccine in Europe. Reports of sinus vein thrombosis have been received and the decision has therefore been made to delay, the company said. The cases would now be investigated with experts and the authorities. The US health authority CDC and the FDA had previously recommended a temporary suspension of vaccinations with the Johnson & Johnson active ingredient. Six people in the US were diagnosed with sinus vein thrombosis between six and 13 days after vaccination, the authorities said in a joint statement. In three cases, thrombocytopenia, i.e. a lack of blood platelets, also occurred. They are women between the ages of 18 and 48 years.

Inoculated more than 6.8 million doses

According to the authorities, more than 6.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have been administered in the United States to date. The vaccine, of which only one dose is sufficient for vaccination protection, received US approval at the end of February. The now recommended suspension of vaccinations is a precautionary measure until exact results are available, said the CDC and FDA.

No decision for Germany

A spokesman for the federal health department said they had not yet decided how to proceed after the US warnings. “We always take such warnings seriously and follow them up.” The spokesman also referred to the responsibility of the Paul Ehrlich Institute. The vaccine from Johnson & Johnson was also approved in the EU in mid-March, but, unlike in the USA, is not yet in use here. The EU Commission assumes that the vaccine will be delivered to the EU next week. A total of 55 million cans are to be delivered in the second quarter, a good ten million of them to Germany. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is the second corona vaccine that is suspected to be associated with the occurrence of sinus vein thrombosis. Previously, some countries had temporarily suspended vaccinations with the AstraZeneca vaccine, including Germany.