Johnson & Johnson expects its commitment to deliver 10 million doses to be very short-lived Covid-19 vaccine by the end of February, with less than 4 million ready to ship to a hoped-for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration.
The announcement of the shortfall by Johnson & Johnson is the first public measure of exactly how far the drug business has fallen behind with its production targets. Johnson & Johnson has promised to deliver another $ 25 million by the end of March.
“We will have 20 million doses of the vaccine available by the end of March, and we are prepared to send almost 4 million doses of our vaccine immediately after consent for emergency use,” said Dr. Richard Nettles, Johnson and Johnson said. subsidiary Janssen’s vice president of medical affairs, said on Tuesday at a hearing committee of the House Energy & Commerce.
He said the company was “confident by the end of June of our plans to deliver 100 million doses”.
As a single-dose vaccine that can be stored for three months at normal refrigerator temperatures, Johnson and Johnson’s candidate was announced as a major advance in the U.S. vaccine effort despite its slightly lower efficacy, compared to two-dose vaccines developed by Pfizer and Modern.
“It’s a very easy vaccine to send and administer; it does not have all these complicated requirements, especially not like Pfizer, which is a much finer vaccine. A single dose, you get it, you are “This is the vaccine I want,” said Dr. Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer of the Association of Civil Servants and Territorial Health Officers.
Although the vaccine is logistically simpler, states may face obstacles in deciding which sites should be prioritized for the more stable doses or how to deal with residents hoping to get one vaccine above the other. Some of these clues may come this weekend after the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention met to discuss Johnson & Johnson’s version.
“I think there is a feeling in many jurisdictions that it would be great if this vaccine gets very specific recommendations on who should get it and how to use it,” Plescia said.
States also do not yet know how many Johnson & Johnson doses they should expect. The Biden administration expects to allocate 2 million doses to jurisdictions next week.
Both Johnson & Johnson and federal officials have acknowledged for weeks that the company faces obstacles as it increased production in the US, which asked the government to change the vaccination goals.
Last year, states received specific awards from Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccine weeks before FDA approval.
“We plan to be ready when the EUA is approved. It’s not about going in front of the EUA; it’s just to make sure we’ve closed everything, so when the decision on the EUA comes, the spread becomes to the Americans within 24 hours immediately, “General Gus Perna, head of the Trump administration’s vaccination effort, told reporters last year.
For comparison: this week, Biden government officials refused to give a specific dose of Johnson & Johnson doses, let alone the awards the states would expect. Asked whether some doses would be set aside for pharmacies or other federal programs, the government said Monday it was only waiting to finalize its strategy after the FDA and CDC weighed in.
“Once we understand what the scientific community has to say, we will be able, in my opinion, to answer the very relevant questions that scientists need advice on,” said Andy Slavitt, White House senior adviser.