Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose Covid vaccine 66 per cent effective
The Covid vaccine being developed by Janssen, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, is 66 per cent effective at preventing moderate and severe coronavirus, data published from phase three trials has shown.
The jab produced by world’s largest healthcare company is the first single-dose Covid vaccine so far.
Britain has pre-ordered 30m doses of the jab, though it has not yet been approved by the UK’s medicines regulatory board.
The efficacy rate is lower than those vaccines produced by Pfizer/Biontech, Moderna and Astrazeneca, which have already received approval. However, the data is not directly comparable because the Janssen trial excluded mild cases of the disease.
Investors appeared unenthused at the results, with J&J shares falling 3.9 per cent in pre-market trading in New York.
However, trial data from more than 44,000 participants showed the Janssen jab was 85 per cent effective at preventing severe Covid, and offered “complete protection” from hospitalisations and death after 28 days.
The vaccine also showed around 57 per cent protection against the new South African Covid mutation.
Alex Gorsky, J&J’s chief executive, said the results were a “critical milestone”, as the company prepares to file for emergency authorisation in the US as early as February — just two days’ time. If approved, the company will be able to ship vaccines immediately.
The company has vowed to offer the vaccine on a “non-profit” basis during the pandemic — as Astrazeneca has also done.
The UK is currently investigating whether providing the Janssen vaccine on a two-dose basis, as with other jabs, will increase its efficacy.
The news comes shortly after Novavax this morning announced its vaccine was 89 per cent effective in protecting against coronavirus.
The announcement came as a huge boost for the UK’s vaccine rollout, with Britain se two receive 60m doses.
So far, more than 7.4m people in the UK have received a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he is “confident” ministers will achieve their target of offering the 14.9m most vulnerable members of the public their first injection by mid-February.