A highly anticipated study on “mixing and matching” COVID-19 vaccines found the approach to be safe and effective, though the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines were found to spark a stronger immune system response than Johnson & Johnson.
Mixing and matching refers to giving a booster dose of a vaccine that's different from the vaccine type that was used for the initial vaccination series.
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The National Institutes of Health study, which was released Wednesday and has yet to be peer reviewed, found that people who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine produced stronger antibody levels after receiving a booster shot made by Moderna or Pfizer, compared to a booster from Johnson & Johnson. Those who were originally vaccinated with the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines and received either company's booster shot produced comparably strong immune responses, the researchers observed.
The findings will be presented on Friday to the Food and Drug Administration’s advisory committee. The group is meeting Thursday and Friday to consider recommending the authorization of a booster shot of Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.
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