(GNB Desk): An expert advisory panel of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended that the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson be authorized for emergency use in adults during the pandemic.
The COVID-19 vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson requires only one shot for protection.
It is expected that the FDA will quickly approve to authorize Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. The FDA already authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines one day after the same panel recommended them for clearance during separate meetings last December.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine was tested in an international study of about 40,000 people, half of whom got the vaccine and half of whom got a placebo.
The study found the company’s vaccine to be 66% effective overall in preventing moderate to severe COVID-19 disease. For disease judged severe or critical, the effectiveness was 85%. The study was conducted in the U.S., South America and South Africa.
The overall efficacy figures are lower than Pfizer’s 95% for preventing COVID-19 disease and 94% for Moderna, according to the study.
The authorization of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine would help expand the supply of COVID-19 shots. The company said 4 million doses of vaccine would be available in the U.S. as soon as the FDA gives its OK. A total of 20 million doses would be ready by the end of March, and Johnson & Johnson has committed to deliver 100 million doses under its contract with the federal government by the end of June.
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