Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine illustration
Given Ruvic | Reuters
LONDON – Health systems around the world are struggling to cope with the growing number of Covid-19 infections as they race against the clock to vaccinate the vulnerable.
The three vaccines currently approved for use by major Western economies require two separate vaccines and supplies are limited. Governments are considering contentious tactics like stretching the time between doses to get at least one dose to as many people as possible.
A single vaccine can significantly improve our ability to fight the virus – and we may have one soon.
Judgment of the final stage of J&J
Johnson & Johnson is expected to deliver preliminary results of the final stage test for its single-dose Covid candidate vaccine by the end of January. If its jab is proven to be safe and effective, the company plans to deliver at least 1 billion doses by the end of the year.
The J&J vaccine was developed by the company’s Belgian unit, Janssen Pharmaceutica, and is based on viral adenovirus vector technology, the same approach used to create the Oxford-AstraZeneca University vaccine. This type of shot is easier to increase than those developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, which are based on messenger RNA technology.
Shore Capital health analyst Adam Barker said in an email to CNBC last week: “The J&J vaccine is more like the AstraZeneca vaccine, but uses only one dose. So we know that this approach works ( viral vector) and targets the protein peak. We know that target works too. But we’ll have to see what a dose does. “
Morgan Stanley’s health team said in a research note published last week that the J&J vaccine offers “unique elements and effectiveness that can positively surprise you with AstraZeneca to boost confidence in the response to the pandemic and market recovery”.
The investment bank is confident in the vaccine’s safety profile, given the data from the first tests, “along with the previous success and the safety profile demonstrated in its Ebola vaccine, as well as in experimental use in HIV, RSV and Zika” .
A report by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, founded by the former British Prime Minister, calls the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines “the two laborious vaccines” because they must be delivered on a scale and are easier to administer than the mRNA shots.
With J&J technology, it is estimated that the vaccine will remain stable for at least three months in normal refrigeration temperatures, therefore, it does not require new infrastructure for transportation.
Expected schedule
J&J completed the enrollment of its phase three clinical trial of 45,000 participants for its candidate single dose vaccine on December 17. Preliminary trial data should be available by the end of the month.
If the data indicates that the vaccine is safe and effective, the company expects to send an application for Emergency Use Authorization to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in February. Other regulatory health applications worldwide are expected to be made in parallel.
Supply agreements
The company has pledged to sell the nonprofit vaccine for emergency use in a pandemic.
J&J entered into an agreement with the U.S. in August 2020 to deliver 100 million doses of the vaccine after approval or authorization for emergency use by the FDA, 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 the J&J vaccine, with an option to purchase up to 22 million additional doses. The EU signed an agreement with J&J in October to supply up to 400 million doses.
J&J has also agreed to provide up to 500 million doses of its vaccine as part of an agreement in principle with The Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), which is responsible for equitable access to vaccines, including for low-income countries via COVAX. These doses will be distributed until 2022 if the candidate vaccine is approved for use.
“If J&J’s Ad26 platform is capable of delivering 80% + efficacy through a single dose regimen, given the favorable vaccine handling requirements and significant manufacturing scale, we would see this as an attractive result,” said Morgan Stanley .
As for what governments should do in the meantime, Jonathan Reiner, professor of medicine and surgery at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, argues: “The J&J vaccine is the reason why we should not abandon the two-dose strategy from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. It’s likely that we have all the vaccines we need. We need to focus on putting vaccines in the arms. “