The Food and Drug Administration is expected to soon issue an emergency use authorization (EUA) to Johnson & Johnson’s covid-19 vaccine, possibly all weekend. That decision would make it the third such vaccine available to Americans. So this is a good time if any time to review the similarities and differences between J & J’s vaccine and the two that are already from Moderna and Pfizer / BioNTech.
The most important similarity between all three is its high effectiveness in preventing life-threatening diseases of covid-19. In an FDA analysis of clinical trial data from approximately 40,000 volunteers released On Wednesday, it was found that J & J’s vaccine was 77 days effective in preventing serious to critical illness 14 days after vaccination, and 85% effective in preventing serious to critical illness 28 days later. In general, it is considered to be 66% effective in preventing moderate to severe illness for 14 days or longer.
The number line is not as impressive as we have seen from clinical trials of the mRNA vaccines developed by Moderna and Pfizer / BioNTech, both of which are more than 90% effective in preventing any symptoms. But the most important goal of any vaccine should be to keep people alive and free from serious complications of the target, a goal that the version of J&J wants to achieve very well. In the clinical trials there was norelated hospitalizations or deaths that occur after vaccination after 28 days. It is likely that none of these vaccines will be 100% effective in preventing hospitalizations or deaths, but it will all significantly reduce the chances of this happening.
The J&J vaccine does have its own clear benefits. Namely, this is just one shot, as opposed to the two-dose schedule recommended over a month for any mRNA vaccine. It is constantly being investigated whether a second shot, taken two months later, could increase its effectiveness. But for now, this is the one-time version that people will only get access to, if approved by the FDA. It is also more stable and durable at warmer temperatures, which means it can be stored longer in a regular fridge without having to worry about spoilage immediately. (That said, it would appear that Moderna and even Pfizer’s vaccine does not require ultra-cold storage as originally thought.)
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If you are concerned about the novelty of the mRNA technology behind the other vaccines (which, to be clear, are actually three decades old), the J&J vaccine may make you feel more comfortable because of its familiarity. It works through a sterilized adenovirus (meaning it can no longer make itself as normal) to carry the DNA for the coronavirus protein, the key that the virus uses to invade cells. The sham virus enters a cell and asks the body to weaken an immune response specifically for the peak protein – one that it has to exercise against the right thing.
The use of viral vectors as delivery system in medicine is older than the mRNA method and has a longer record of safety. Although it, like the mRNA vaccines, is the first adenovirus-based vaccine to be widely used. Adenovirus vaccines do have their potential constraints, such as the existing immunity to the virus that can be used to impair the efficacy of the vaccine. In the case of the J&J vaccine, it uses a type of adenovirus that infects people less frequently, which is meant to circumvent the restrictions. And because it has been tested in different parts of the world, with similar success, it should alleviate the concern that its effectiveness varies greatly from country to country.
The J&J vaccine may also gain slightly when it comes to possible side effects. The most common side effects associated with the vaccine were injection site pain (48.6%), headache (38.9%), fatigue (38.2%) and myalgia (33.2%). In contrast, more than 84% of the people who administered the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine felt pain around the injection site after the first or second shot, and 60% experienced fatigue. Potentially serious side effects were rare for the J&J vaccine, and there was no difference in frequency between people who received the vaccine or placebo after experiencing potential covid-19 symptoms (0.4% in each group). accounted for, which should further indicate its safety.
As with other vaccines, people under the age of 60 are more likely to experience symptoms, probably due to a stronger immune response. There was a possible but still rare risk of allergic reaction to the vaccine, but only five patients in the study who received the vaccine had a reaction shortly after the shot, and no one experienced a severe reaction known as anaphylaxis. does not stand. (One patient in the placebo group responded.)
In its review, the FDA said more data needs to be collected before it is clear whether allergic reaction is a real risk of the vaccine. But otherwise, it endorsed the vaccine as safe and effective, saying their analysis “supports a favorable safety profile without any specific safety issues that could hamper the issuance of an EUA.”
Another consideration is that J & J’s vaccine has been tested in the US, South America and South Africa, at a time when important new variants of the coronavirus have begun to appear. The data suggest that the vaccine should still provide good, if slightly reduced, protection against the variant first found in South Africa, probably the most worrying variant of all. And it can also provide some protection against asymptomatic infections, which is a good sign that it will reduce transmission.
On Thursday, the FDA’s advisory committee for vaccines and related biological products will meet to discuss the trial data and give their recommendation for an authorization for emergency use or not. And should things go as expected, the FDA will authorize them shortly thereafter. After it was approved, J&J said they are ready to send almost 4 million doses immediately. By the end of March, it is said that it will have 20 million doses available – a timeline similar to the earlier distribution of Moderna / Pfizer. By that time, all three companies had promise to make 240 million more doses available to the public in total. At present, there are an average of 1.4 million Americans per day vaccinated.
In short, the road to mass vaccination is likely to become less bumpy over time, especially if other candidates enters the picture later this year as expected. And you should not worry too much about what specific vaccine you should get when you finally qualify, as they will protect you all from the worst that covid-19 can do (although vaccinating J&J may be the easiest for some ). More importantly, they will all help to end this pandemic as soon as possible.