Why Swissmedic approves a vaccine that has not been ordered

Swissmedic has surprisingly approved the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, although Switzerland has yet to order the vaccine. What’s it all about?

In Switzerland, three vaccines have been approved since Monday in the fight against the coronavirus. After Swissmedic approved the Biontech / Pfizer and Moderna vaccines several months ago, the authority also gave the green light to Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine on Monday. The “COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen” vaccine is approved for a limited period of time for people over the age of 18, according to a statement.

The move appears to come as a surprise because the Federal Office of Public Health responsible for BAG has yet to order any doses of the vaccine from Johnson & Johnson. “If the required criteria are met, we will grant approval,” a Swissmedic spokesperson told “Blue News.”

The approval now makes it possible for Janssen Cilag, the Swiss subsidiary of the US corporation Johnson & Johnson, to sell the vaccine in Switzerland. Potential buyers are companies that want to vaccinate their employees with the vaccine, however at their expense, as reported by SRF.

Contracts with five manufacturers

So far, the federal government has entered into contracts with five vaccine manufacturers: with Moderna (about 13.5 million doses of vaccine), with Pfizer / Biontech (about three million doses of vaccine), Astrazeneca (about 5 , 3 million doses of vaccine) and with Curevac (five million doses). vaccine doses) and Novavax (six million doses). According to BAG, the fact that Johnson & Johnson has not yet placed an order is due, among other things, to the fact that the manufacturer can only deliver from the third quarter.

Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine was approved in the EU on March 11; Previously, 200 million cans had been ordered. When asked about “Blue News,” BAG would not say whether Johnson & Johnson orders are also planned in Switzerland. “For tactical reasons, we cannot comment on the ongoing negotiations,” said a media spokeswoman.

According to Swissmedic, the active ingredient in Johnson & Johnson is effective between 64.2 percent (age group 18 to 64 years) and 82.4 percent (65 years and older). “The severe and critical courses of Covid 19 disease can be prevented with this vaccine (almost 85 percent),” says Swissmedic.

It has also been shown to have “a good effect on dominant mutations in Brazil and South Africa.” The vaccine can be stored frozen and can be kept unopened in the refrigerator for up to three months. Unlike the Biotech / Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is based on vector technology. The big advantage of the vaccine: Unlike previously approved vaccines, it only needs to be given once.

Swissmedic is still testing the vaccine from the British-Swedish manufacturer Astrazeneca.