Firm introduces weaker, longer life vaccine

RHODE ISLAND: The first one-shot Covid-19 vaccine provides good protection against the illness, Johnson & Johnson reported in a key study released on Friday, offering the world a potentially important new tool as it races to stay ahead of the rapidly mutating virus.

ONE-SHOT DEAL This September 2020 photo provided by Johnson & Johnson shows a clinician preparing to administer investigational Janssen COVID-19 vaccine. Johnson & Johnson’s long-awaited Covid-19 vaccine appears to protect against symptomatic illness with just one shot – not as strong as some two-shot rivals but still potentially helpful for a world in dire need of more doses. Johnson & Johnson said on Jan. 29, 2021 that in the US and seven other countries, the first single-shot vaccine appears 66 percent effective overall at preventing moderate to severe Covid-19. It was more protective against severe symptoms at 85 percent. AP

The pharmaceutical giant’s preliminary findings suggest the single-dose option may not be as strong as Pfizer’s or Moderna’s two-dose formula, and was markedly weaker against a worrisome, mutated version of the virus in South Africa.

But amid a rocky start to vaccinations worldwide, that may be an acceptable trade-off to get more people inoculated faster with an easier-to-handle shot that, unlike rival vaccines that must be kept frozen, can last months in the refrigerator.

“Frankly, simple is beautiful,” said Dr. Matt Hepburn, the US government’s Covid-19 vaccine response leader. J&J plans to seek emergency use authorization in the US within a week.

It expects to supply 100 million doses to the US by June — and a billion doses globally by year’s end — but declined to say how much could be ready if the Food and Drug Administration gives the green light.

Defeating the scourge that has killed more than 2 million people worldwide will require vaccinating billions. The shots being rolled out in different countries so far all require two doses a few weeks apart for full protection.

Nearly 23 million Americans have received a first dose of Pfizer or Moderna shots since vaccinations began last month, but fewer than 5 million have gotten their second dose. Also Friday, regulators cleared a third option, AstraZeneca’s vaccine, for use throughout the European Union.

The decision came amid criticism that the 27-nation bloc is not moving fast enough, as well as concern that there’s not enough data to tell how well the vaccine works in older people.

J&J studied its one-dose option in 44,000 people in the US, Latin America and South Africa.

Interim results found the shot 66-percent effective overall at preventing moderate to severe Covid-19, and much more protective — 85 percent against the most serious symptoms. There were no serious side effects.

“Gambling on one dose was certainly worthwhile,” Dr. Mathai Mammen, global research chief for J&J’s Janssen Pharmaceutical unit, told The Associated Press.

The vaccine worked better in the US — 72-percent effective against moderate to severe Covid-19 — compared with 66 percent in Latin America and 57 percent in South Africa, where a more contagious mutant virus is spreading.

Source: ManilaTimes