Johnson & Johnson vaccine shelf life extended as millions of doses near expiration

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 8:18 PM PT – Thursday, June 10, 2021

The Food and Drug Administration is extending the shelf life of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine from three months to four-and-a-half months. The drug manufacturer made the announcement on Thursday as nearly half of the 21 million doses of the vaccine remain unused and nearing expiration.

Safety concerns about the COVID-19 shot resulted in decreased demand, leaving at least 13 lots of the vaccine nearing expiration as soon as June 27.

White House senior adviser for coronavirus, Andrew Slavitt, stated they’re working aggressively to administer doses and encourage states to work with the FDA on storage solutions to extend shelf life.

Then-Acting Administrator of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Andy Slavitt speaks at a news conference at the Treasury Department in Washington, Wednesday, June 22, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, file)

Federal officials are encouraging every governor who has doses that they worry may be expiring to work with the FDA directly on the proper storage procedures, as they continue to examine processes that will allow the doses to potentially last longer.

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