Johnson & Johnson’s experimental coronavirus vaccine entered human trials this month after a preliminary study showed it helped protect a group of primates with a single injection.
According to a study published in the medical journal Nature, all animals that had been exposed to the pandemic six weeks after the injection were immune, except for one, which showed only low levels of the virus. The results prompted the healthcare firm to begin human trials last week in Belgium and earlier this week in the U.S.
“We are excited to see these preclinical data because they show that our SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate generated a strong antibody response and provided protection with a single dose,” said Paul Stoffels, chief scientific officer for Johnson & Johnson. “The findings give us confidence as we move forward in the development of our vaccines and high-level manufacturing in parallel …”
The company said it is looking to start the last phase of testing in September and that 1,045 people will participate in the trial.
Johnson & Johnson is competing against a number of other companies in the race for a vaccine, and while other companies have been quicker to develop, Johnson & Johnson’s ability to elicit an immune response in a single dose could give an advantage to implement a vaccine.
The company did not announce an expected price for its injection, but said manufacturing is increasing to try to provide more than a billion doses to people around the world.
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