Johnson & Johnson's one-shot COVID-19 vaccine shows 66% strong efficacy
Johnson & Johnson's (J&J) much-awaited COVID-19 vaccine has reportedly exhibited strong protection against the virus. Its vaccine can be administered as a single dose unlike competing products from Pfizer and Moderna, which require administration of two doses spaced 21 days and 28 days apart, respectively. Late-stage trial data shows the one-shot vaccine successfully prevented 66% of moderate to severe COVID-19 cases in test subjects.
Vaccine prevented 85% incidents of possible hospitalization and death
On Friday, the world's largest healthcare company claimed the vaccine has shown 85% effectiveness in preventing severe disease 28 days after being administered to test subjects over 18 years of age. The company said it will file an emergency-use authorization for its vaccine in the US. Over 44,000 participants received a dose during the late-stage testing for the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine.
Scientists say 66% efficacy not sub-par
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine's 66% efficacy is less than the vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Oxford-AstraZeneca, which are already being distributed. However, no comparison can be drawn as the vaccine was not tested for mild cases of COVID-19. The vaccine showed 57% efficacy against the 501.V2 strain in South Africa, but 72% in the US and 66% in Latin America.
Last-stage trials do not reveal any safety concerns
Scientists are still considering Johnson & Johnson's offering a promising option, as annual flu vaccines are only 40-60%effective. Also, there were 468 symptomatic cases of the infection from the 44,000 participants in the trial. One group received placebos. whereas the actual vaccine was administered to the other group. No safety concerns were highlighted in either group.
US,UK, EU secure deals; J&J promises non-profit vaccination
J&J CEO Alex Gorsky said the company's goal has been to create a simple, effective solution with the maximum impact to help end the pandemic. J&J promised the vaccination on a "non-profit basis" for the duration of the pandemic—about $10 a dose. The US, the UK, and the EU have deals in place for at least 100 million, 30 million, and 200 million doses, respectively.
Logistics, distribution, and administration burden could reduce
Moreover, the J&J vaccine doesn't need to be preserved in ultra-cold conditions. It can be kept at between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius for three months. The vaccine will serve to help countries struggling to meet demand. Its single-shot nature will also reduce the administrative burden on the distribution system, which requires patients to schedule appointments for follow-up doses.
