Rival vaccine makers declined request from Johnson & Johnson for help with blood clotting issues: report

According to an exclusive report from the Wall Street Journal, Johnson & Johnson requested help from rival COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers Pfizer and Moderna with help investigating blood clotting issues with their offering intended to curb the pandemic and were turned down.

Earlier in the week, the CDC issued a warning about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and urged a pause after a reported six patients -- all women -- developed blood clotting problems.

Friday morning, the Wall Street Journal claimed J&J reached out to their competitors and were rebuffed with the exception of AstraZeneca.

"Johnson & Johnson privately reached out to Covid-19 vaccine rivals to ask them to join an effort to study the risks of blood clots and speak with one voice about safety, " the report states before adding, "Pfizer and Moderna executives declined the offer, saying their vaccines appeared safe, the people said. The pair also objected because they didn't see the need to duplicate the efforts of regulators and companies already looking for blood-clot cases and investigating the cause, the people said. One company's concern: The safety of the Pfizer and Moderna shots could be tarnished by association, some of the people said."

The report adds, "Only AstraZeneca, which had been buffeted by similar blood-clotting concerns for weeks, agreed, the people said."

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