Dow futures turned lower Tuesday after the FDA and CDC recommended a pause in the use of Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot Covid vaccine. The federal health agencies said they’re reviewing reports of six recipients who experienced rare and severe blood clotting issues. Dow stock J&J dropped 2.5% in premarket trading.
The Dow and S&P 500 started the week lower, breaking three-session winning streaks and falling from Friday’s record high closes. The Nasdaq broke a two-session winning streak. The tech-heavy index, as of Monday’s finish, was 1.7% from its February record close.
In a statement, J&J said there’s “no clear causal relationship” between rare the blood-clotting events and its Covid vaccine. The U.S. drug giant also said it is working with regulators. All six cases occurred in women ages 18 to 48, with symptoms developing six to 13 days after they received the shot. The CDC will convene a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on Wednesday to further review the cases, federal health regulators said Tuesday. The FDA is also investigating the cases.
