Jakub Porzycki | NurPhoto | fake pictures
Johnson & Johnson said it expects to start an advanced-stage human trial for a possible coronavirus vaccine in late September, ahead of schedule.
The company is in talks with the National Institutes of Health to advance the trial schedule, J&J Chief Scientific Director Dr. Paul Stoffels said Thursday during an earnings call with investors. The company announced earlier that day that it plans to participate in a phase one human trial next week, which will include more than 1,000 participants.
The company is also planning a phase two study in the Netherlands, Spain and Germany, he said.
J&J is one of several companies working on a possible vaccine for Covid-19, which has infected more than 13 million people worldwide and killed at least 584,000, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. According to the World Health Organization, more than 100 vaccines are being developed. At least 23 are already in human trials, the WHO said.
On Tuesday, biotech firm Moderna released promising data on its potential coronavirus vaccine trial, saying it generated a “robust” immune response.
J&J said it is using the same technologies it used to make its experimental Ebola vaccine, which was provided to people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in late 2019. It involves combing the genetic material of the coronavirus with a modified adenovirus known to be it is common. colds in humans.
The company previously said it could produce 600 to 900 million doses in April if the vaccine works well.
Stoffels’ comment came after the company said in a earnings statement that its second-quarter earnings fell 35% from a year earlier, as the coronavirus forced hospitals to postpone elective surgeries, which affected the The company’s medical device business.
He said he earned $ 3.63 billion, or $ 1.36 per share, during the three months ending June 30, a 34.6% drop from $ 5.6 billion a year earlier as sales fell at his medical device unit. . The decline in its medical device unit was partially offset by higher sales of its over-the-counter consumer products like Tylenol and its Listerine mouthwash.
Overall, the company exceeded earnings expectations, reporting adjusted earnings of $ 1.67 per share, higher than the $ 1.49 per share projected by analysts surveyed by Refinitiv. The company generated $ 18.3 billion in revenue, higher than the expected $ 17.6 billion, but a 10% decrease from the previous year.
J&J shares fell fractionally in early trading on Thursday.
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