The COVID-19 vaccine candidate is being developed by Johnson & Johnson JNJ,
the subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceutica can grant emergency approval by British regulators within a few weeks, boosting the country’s mass immunization program amid a surge in cases of coronavirus.
John Bell, professor of medicine at the University of Oxford and adviser to the Vaccine Taskforce, told the Daily Telegraph: “My prediction is that it will work well, although we will have to wait for the test results.”
He added: ‘I think they will have supplies available for the UK within a time frame that allows them to reach the mid-February target of increasing numbers. I think it could very well have a significant impact on what we can do in the UK to get more people vaccinated. ‘
Opinion: The vaccine is unlikely to stop the COVID pandemic this year
A Janssen spokesman said it would be premature to comment on the vaccine production until the results of the ongoing Phase 3 clinical study, which is expected later this month, were received.
“Janssen will continue to work closely with the MHRA [Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency] to complete the ongoing review process for a national marketing application in the UK and is committed to bringing an affordable, non-profit emergency pandemic COVID-19 vaccine to the public, ‘the spokesman added.
If the data indicates that the vaccine is safe and effective, J&J expects to submit an emergency authorization application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in February.
The British government has ordered 30 million doses of the Janssen vaccine, with the option to buy 22 million more. The vaccine candidate is a single dose shot, unlike those developed by Biotechnology Modern MRNA,
and the American pharmaceutical company Pfizer PFE,
and its German partner BioNTech BNTX,
It can also be safely stored and transported at standard refrigerator temperatures, while the Pfizer – BioNTech vaccine should be stored at minus 70C.
If Janssen’s vaccine candidate is approved by the British regulators, it will be the third vaccine rolled out on a large scale in the country after the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and the one developed by the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca AZN,
with the University of Oxford, and would help accelerate the public’s mass vaccination effort.
More than 1.3 million people in the UK have already received one shot of the Pfizer – BioNTech vaccine or the AstraZeneca – Oxford vaccine, according to the government. They want to get 13 million of the most vulnerable people in the UK vaccinated by mid-February, a goal that England’s medical chief, Prof. Chris Whitty, “realistic but not easy”.
Read: UK becomes the first country to expand AstraZeneca – Oxford vaccine as closer closure
Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned on Wednesday that there is now a race “to vaccinate the defenseless faster than the virus can reach them.”
“Every needle in every arm makes a difference,” Johnson told lawmakers.
According to government figures, another 1,041 people died within 28 days after testing positive for coronavirus from Wednesday.
In a further effort to boost the mass immunization process, some GPs will be administering the surgery against AstraZeneca – Oxford from Thursday, the National Health Service said.
Seven vaccination centers will appear next week under many more websites, along with more hospitals, home-grown services and a number of pilot pharmacy vaccine services, the NHS added.
Read: According to Fauci, the US will not extend the interval between vaccine doses.
Last week, the MHRA, the Joint Vaccination and Immunization Committee and four chief medical officers in the UK agreed to close the gap between the first and second doses of vaccinations, in an effort to eliminate most people within the shortest possible time. protect.