Is the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine Vegan?

The latest COVID-19 vaccine to receive emergency use authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration belongs to Janssen (Johnson & Johnson). This game-changing viral vector vaccine only requires one dose and will greatly expand the availability of vaccines across the country. The FDA regulatory processes for new drug approval includes animal testing during the research phases. Unfortunately, no medication can be truly labeled as “vegan” because of this. The more appropriate labeling would be “animal-free” (i.e. products not containing any animal-derived ingredients). So yes, the J&J Vaccine is Animal Free.