The Food and Drug Administration has approved Johnson & Johnson’s emergency vaccine, making it the third vaccine available to the U.S. public and another important step in the U.S. fight to control Covid-19.
The decision was a formality after an independent advisory panel recommended late Friday afternoon that drug regulators approve the one-shot vaccine.
The move is a boost to the Biden administration’s vaccination plans, as it seeks to tackle a pandemic that has spiraled out of control under Donald Trump amid a largely shocked reaction marked by anti-scientific sentiment, skepticism about wearing masks and promoting them. of unfounded conspiracy theories.
“The approval of this vaccine extends the availability of vaccines, the best medical prevention method for Covid-19, to help us in the fight against this pandemic, which has claimed more than half a million lives in the United States,” the acting FDA commissioner said. Janet Woodcock in a statement.
Janssen – the subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine – said at a congressional hearing this week that he expects to deliver 20 million doses by March and a total of 100 million doses before the end of June. This means that the new vaccine, along with those already in circulation from Pfizer and Moderna, the US must provide more than enough supplies to vaccinate every suitable person.
Joe Biden promised that by the end of July there would be enough vaccine shots for every American and said once the latest version is available, “we have a plan to execute it as fast as Johnson & Johnson can make it.” Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser at Biden, said he was a little disappointed with the initial amount of doses Johnson & Johnson provided, but that production would increase significantly during the spring.
To date, more than 510,000 people in America have died from coronavirus and more than 28 million have tested positive – both by far the worst in the world. Currently, about 267 million Americans are eligible for a vaccination against Covid.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine would also be the easiest to distribute the vaccines in the system. Unlike those of Pfizer and Moderna, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine can be stored for up to three months at normal refrigerator temperatures.
But this ease comes with reservations. The company’s clinical trials were the first to demonstrate the potential impact of Covid-19 variants, or evolutionary changes in the virus, on vaccine efficacy.
The vaccine was found to be 85% effective in preventing serious diseases and in fully protecting against Covid-19-related hospitalization and death after 28 days. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine was found to be 72% effective in clinical trials in the USA, but only 57% in South Africa, where variant B1351 originated.
“With today’s permission, we’re adding another vaccine to our medical toolbox to fight this virus,” said Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biological Evaluation and Research.