Johnson & Johnson Recall

  Within this past week, we have witnessed the rise and fall of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. What once seemed as an attractive, one-dose, easier-temperature-requirements option has been removed from the market due to a serious side effect seen in 6 patients. There is a lot of backlash on taking this vaccination away for such a small amount of people with this response.

This serious side effect is a rare form of blood clot called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST). A popular retort to this blood clot adverse effect is that many hormonal contraceptive products contain blood clot warnings. It is known that intake of estrogen-containing products can increase risk for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), which are both forms of blood clots in the legs or lungs, respectively. While both of these are very concerning, CVST is most like an ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, but instead of the clot happening in an artery and blocking blood flow to the brain, the clot occurs in the brain and causes hemorrhaging. CVST and strokes are fatal without immediate medical attention and may result in long-term complications such as brain damage and increased stroke risk.

Thinking of the extent of issues with this adverse effect, it’s reasonable to see why it would be recalled for the moment. If the vaccine continued to be distributed and this effect was seen more frequently, I’m sure the public would cause an uproar as to why it was allowed to be administered after this reaction was known. On the other hand, if the vaccine is studied further with a focus on CVST outcomes and this response is still a rare occurrence, the public will be unhappy that it was taken away in the first place. There is always the possibility that this vaccine does cause these events more frequently than thought and removing it is the only option. In any case, temporarily recalling the product is the safest option when there are alternatives available.