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Johnson & Johnson said this week that it could get late-stage trial results for a single-dose vaccine in January earlier than expected, but is reducing the size of its pivotal trial of the Covid-19 vaccine in the US. ., The only major study testing a single dose of a Covid vaccine: from 60,000 volunteers to 40,000 volunteers.
STAT reports that “the change is being made possible thanks to the fact that Covid-19 is so widespread throughout the country, according to a person familiar with the matter.”
“The more viruses there are in the United States, the more likely participants are to be exposed to it, which means that researchers can reach conclusions based on a smaller trial.”
“Changing the size of the study does not indicate that the results will arrive on a different schedule or anything about whether they will be positive or negative.”
The company began phase 3 trials in September and hopes to apply for emergency approval in early 2021 if the vaccine is safe and effective.
While rivals Pfizer and Moderna’s two-dose vaccines will have an advantage, given that they have completed phase 3 trials with exceptionally strong results and are likely to begin shipping their vaccines in the coming weeks, the single-dose candidate of Johnson & Johnson remains promising.
Another promising feature of the J & Js vaccine is the fact that the vaccine is expected to remain stable for at least three months at refrigerator-like temperatures, unlike other vaccines (such as Pfizer’s) that need specialized freezers. .
Market implications
Meanwhile, global equity indices fell on Wednesday.
The S&P 500 is down nearly 1% at the time of writing, as negotiations for further fiscal stimulus dragged on, while the British pound rose bit by bit after recent weakness.
Investors have been waiting for news of further economic relief from the US as the coronavirus pandemic continues to take its toll on the economy.
The U.S. House of Representatives is set to vote on a week-long interim funding bill that will allow more time to reach an agreement on COVID-19 relief, with separate aid packages of more than $ 900. billion on the table.
