medwireNews: The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) has updated its guidance on COVID-19 vaccination for people with rheumatic diseases to include the timing of the third dose of mRNA vaccines in those taking immunomodulatory drugs.
This update follows recent announcements from the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the authorization of the third vaccine dose in certain immunocompromised patients.
The latest ACR guidance recommends that the third dose of the Pfizer–BioNTech (BNT162b2) or Moderna (mRNA-1273) vaccine should be given at least 28 days after the second dose in people taking immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory therapy (with the exception of hydroxychloroquine), using the same vaccine type as previous doses where possible. The guidance also includes recommendations for altering the dosing schedule of some rheumatology drugs around the time of vaccination.
“The updated information from the ACR addresses not only booster vaccination but also other important and practical issues facing rheumatology providers and their patients related to the pandemic,” said Jeffrey Curtis, chair of the ACR COVID-19 Vaccine Clinical Guidance Task Force, in a press release.
Additional updates include a preference for mRNA vaccines over the single-dose Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen (JNJ-78436735) vaccine for rheumatology patients yet to be vaccinated, and a notation on post-exposure prophylaxis with monoclonal antibody treatment for those exposed to SARS-CoV-2.
The ACR stresses that people with rheumatic diseases should continue to follow public health guidelines on physical distancing and other infection prevention measures following COVID-19 vaccination.
medwireNews is an independent medical news service provided by Springer Healthcare Ltd. © 2021 Springer Healthcare Ltd, part of the Springer Nature Group
26 August 2021: The coronavirus pandemic is affecting all healthcare professionals across the globe. Medicine Matters’ focus, in this difficult time, is the dissemination of the latest data to support you in your research and clinical practice, based on the scientific literature. We will update the information we provide on the site, as the data are published. However, please refer to your own professional and governmental guidelines for the latest guidance in your own country.