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Medical syringes are seen with the Johnson & Johnson company logo on a background display in this illustrated photo taken in Poland on October 13, 2020. (Getty)
- Johnson & Johnson has reduced the number of participants in the US trial of its vaccine to 40,000, from a previous target of 60,000.
- This is because cases in the US are skyrocketing and participants are much more likely to be exposed to the virus, testing the efficacy of the vaccine.
- The vaccine will be packaged in South Africa, requires only a single dose, and will likely be much cheaper than some other vaccines.
- For more articles, go to www.BusinessInsider.co.za.
Johnson & Johnson confirmed that it will now only test its vaccine among 40,000 people in the US, compared to an expected 60,000, as Covid-19 cases skyrocket in that country.
“Given the high incidence of Covid-19 among the general population, we expect approximately 40,000 participants to generate the data necessary to determine the safety and efficacy of our investigational Covid-19 vaccine candidate,” J&J told the Financial Times. The company already has about 40,000 people registered in the US.
On average, more than 200,000 Americans now test positive for the coronavirus every day, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. This means that participants are much more likely to be exposed to the virus, testing the efficacy of the vaccine.
On Wednesday, authorities reported more than 3,000 deaths in a single day in the United States, the highest number yet.
Johnson & Johnson is also testing the vaccine among South Africans, as well as in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru. Last month, J&J struck a deal with local pharmaceutical giant Aspen to package 300 million doses in Port Elizabeth.
READ | Johnson & Johnson’s Proposed Covid Vaccine Could Soon Be Produced At EP: Here’s What We Know
While it is unclear whether this will guarantee preferential access for South Africans, there is enthusiasm that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine only requires one dose, not two, like most other vaccines.
READ | SA will have the vaccine in mid-2021, but it should be a single dose, says Covid’s top adviser, Professor Karim
Also, it should be much cheaper. In an agreement with the US government, Johnson & Johnson priced its vaccine at approximately $ 10 (R150) per dose, much lower than the Pfizer ($ 19 per dose) and Moderna ($ 25 to $ 25 per dose) vaccines. $ 37 per dose), Forbes reported.
Johnson & Johnson’s candidate vaccine, known as JNJ-78436735, is administered by a harmless virus called Adenovirus 26, a rare human virus in nature, so most people have not developed immunity against it, reports the USA. Today.
Using the same adenovirus, Johnson & Johnson recently developed a candidate Ebola vaccine, which was approved by the European Union in July.
The company previously said that the first batches of the vaccine could be available for emergency use starting in January. The EU has already reached an agreement with Johnson & Johnson for 400 million doses of the vaccine.
If the vaccine is approved and an agreement between the two companies is concluded, Aspen could begin manufacturing the vaccine in the second quarter of 2021, Aspen Executive Vice President Gus Attridge previously told Business Insider.
The local company will manage the formulation, filling and secondary packaging of the vaccine and will supply it to Johnson & Johnson.
For its part, Johnson & Johnson told Business Insider SA that it wants to allocate up to 500 million doses of vaccines to lower-income countries, with delivery beginning in the middle of next year.
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