- The Johnson & Johnson coronavirus candidate vaccine can prevent complications and death of COVID-19, as the conclusions of the Phase 3 study showed.
- The drugs require a single injection and can be stored at normal refrigerator temperatures. But the J&J COVID-19 vaccine is not as effective as Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna mRNA drugs, which can be seen as a disadvantage.
- Dr. Anthony Fauci said in an interview that these comparisons do more harm than good, and he explained that this particular vaccine is very important.
Johnson & Johnson announced on Friday the results of its Phase 3 trial of the coronavirus vaccine, revealing to the world that the drug can prevent severe COVID-19 that leads to hospitalization and death. The vaccine is safe to use and had no serious side effects during the massive Phase 3 trial. The company also said that the drug will work against the South African B.1.351 mutation, the only new coronavirus strain that has been shown to evade some medicines that are already in use.
The J&J vaccine has some advantages that make it a unique proposition compared to competitors. He uses a single injection regimen, this vaccine being the only one that does not require a booster injection three to four weeks after the first injection. Unlike Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine can also be started at normal refrigeration temperatures, which means that the logistics for transporting and storing the vaccine will not be as complex.
The Johnson & Johnson candidate does not offer efficacy comparable to the drugs Moderna and BioNTech. But that shouldn’t be a problem, said Dr. Anthony Fauci in an interview in which he explained why the new vaccine is so important for the treatment of COVID-19 in the United States and other countries.
Best deal of the day 
Purell is still so hard to find in stores – but there are huge discounts on Amazon! List price:$ 75.60 Price:$ 51.90 ($ 0.54 / Fl Oz) You save:$ 23.70 (31%) 
Available on Amazon, BGR can receive a commission Available on Amazon BGR can receive a commission
Fauci said CNN on Friday that the J&J candidate and the others will reduce stress on the US healthcare system. “If we can alleviate that, it is very important – not just with this candidate, but with others who have already obtained the” Emergency Use Permit (USA), he said.
Dr. Fauci highlighted the obvious benefits of the drug. “A vaccine that is cheap, that is a single dose and that has no cold chain requirements – this is very good,” said Fauci as he addressed the “elephant” in the room.
The drug’s effectiveness – 66% globally and 85% effective against serious illnesses – pales compared to the 95% effectiveness that the drug Pfizer and Moderna achieved. Fauci stressed that J & J’s results would look even better without the obvious comparison.
“Do you know what the problem is? If that existed and we didn’t have Moderna 94-95%…. We would have said, wow, a 72% effective and even more effective vaccine against serious illnesses is really excellent,” said Fauci. “But now we are always evaluating this against 94 to 95%. That said, this is a vaccine that could be used, especially in developing countries, to keep people out of the hospital. It has a very good effectiveness against serious diseases. “
The drug was 72% in the US Phase 3 study volunteer group.
In the months prior to the US received by the drugs Pfizer and Moderna, Fauci and other health experts said they expected the vaccine’s effectiveness to reach 75%, saying that the higher the number, the better. The FDA limit for emergency approval has been set at 50%. The flu vaccine’s effectiveness fluctuates due to the highly mutagenic nature of the various flu-causing viruses, with the 2019 drug version being only 45% effective. The flu, however, has other effective therapies that reduce the risk of death – not just a vaccine.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has another immediate advantage over the others. The Phase 3 study included patients infected with at least one of the new strains of concern. They are more infectious, and the South African strain is the only strain that can escape antibodies to the coronavirus. It is not clear how effective other vaccines are against this strain, with the drug J&J showing 57% effectiveness in South Africa, where 95% of COVID-19 cases in the study were caused by B.1.351.
In addition to addressing comparisons of efficacy, Fauci also noted Jonson & Johnson’s research on a two-dose regimen. The company plans to see if a two-dose regimen can further increase effectiveness. “Let’s see what that shows. This could increase to 90% ”, said the health specialist. “Gee, if you were 72 on a single dose, you’d think you’d do great with a boost.”
The US government already has a contract to purchase 100 million doses of vaccines from Johnson & Johnson. The USA’s FDA decision is expected to be announced by the end of February.
Best deal of the day Purell is still so hard to find in stores – but there are huge discounts on Amazon! List price:$ 75.60 Price:$ 51.90 ($ 0.54 / Fl Oz) You save:$ 23.70 (31%) Available on Amazon, BGR can receive a commission Available on Amazon BGR can receive a commission
Chris Smith started writing about gadgets as a hobby and, before he knew it, was sharing his views on technology with readers around the world. Whenever he’s not writing about gadgets, he fails miserably to stay away from them, although he tries desperately. But this is not necessarily a bad thing.