Johnson & Johnson Coronavirus Vaccine Illustration
Dado Ruvic | Reuters
LONDON – Healthcare systems around the world are struggling to cope with the growing number of Covid-19 infections as they rush around the clock to vaccinate the defenseless.
The three vaccines currently approved by major Western economies all require two separate thrusts and given supplies are limited. Governments are considering controversial tactics, such as extending the time between doses to get at least one dose to as many people as possible.
A one-shot vaccine can significantly improve our ability to fight the virus – and we will have one soon.
J & J’s late trial
Johnson & Johnson is expected to deliver preliminary results for the one-time Covid vaccine candidate by the end of January. If it proves to be safe and effective, the company aims to deliver at least 1 billion doses by the end of the year.
The J&J vaccine was developed by the Belgian unit, Janssen Pharmaceutica, and is based on viral adenovirus vector technology, the same approach used to create the University of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. These types of shots are easier to scale than those developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna based on messenger RNA technology.
Health analyst Adam Barker of Shore Capital said in an email to CNBC last week: “The J&J vaccine is more like the AstraZeneca vaccine, but it only uses one dose. So we know this approach works ( viral vector) and it targets the ear protein. We know the target works too. But we’ll have to see what one dose does. ‘
Morgan Stanley’s healthcare team said in a research note published last week that J & J’s vaccine could offer ‘unique elements and efficiencies to the upside surprise compared to AstraZeneca that can boost confidence in the pandemic response and market recovery cause.’
The investment bank is confident in the safety profile of the vaccine given early trial data, “along with the previous success and safety profile shown in their Ebola vaccine, as well as in the research use in HIV, RSV and Zika.”
A report by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, set up by the former British Prime Minister, calls the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson jabs “the two workhorse vaccines” because they need to be delivered on a scale and can be administered more easily as the mRNA. shots.
With J & J’s technology, the vaccine is estimated to remain stable for at least three months at normal cooling temperatures, so there is no need to transport new infrastructure.
Expected timeline
On December 17, J&J completed the registration of its phase three clinical trial for 45,000 participants for its single-dose vaccine candidate. Preliminary data are expected to be available by the end of the month.
If the data indicates that the vaccine is safe and effective, the company expects to submit an emergency approval application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in February. Other applications to health regulations around the world are expected to take place in parallel.
Provision agreements
The company has pledged to sell the vaccine on a non-profit basis for emergency pandemic.
In August 2020, J&J entered into an agreement with the US to deliver 100 million doses of the vaccine after FDA approval or emergency approval, and the option to purchase up to 200 million additional doses under a subsequent agreement.
The UK negotiated an agreement in August to initially purchase 30 million doses of J&J vaccine with an option to buy up to 22 million extra doses. The EU signed an agreement with J&J in October to provide up to 400 million doses.
J&J has also agreed to deliver up to 500 million doses of its vaccine as part of a principle agreement with The Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), which is responsible for equitable access to vaccines, including lower-income countries via COVAX. These doses will be spread until 2022 if the vaccine candidate is approved for use.
“If J & J’s Ad26 platform can deliver 80% + efficacy via a single dose treatment, given the favorable handling requirements of the vaccine and the significant manufacturing scale, we would consider it a compelling outcome,” said Morgan Stanley.
What governments need to do in the meantime, says Jonathan Reiner, professor of medicine and surgery at the George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences: “The J&J vaccine is why we should not abandon the two-dose strategy for Pfizer-BioNTech “And Modern. We probably have all the vaccine we need. We need to focus on getting the vaccines in our arms.”