Johnson & Johnson Begins Final Trials Of Coronavirus Vaccine

Johnson & Johnson Begins Final Trials Of Coronavirus Vaccine

Via Patch.com: 

Johnson & Johnson announced Wednesday that the company is launching the third, and final stage, of test trials for its coronavirus vaccine. And it’s a possible cure that would require one shot instead of two.

Gov. Phil Murphy, speaking during his Wednesday news conference, said the vaccination also doesn’t have to be kept frozen as it’s distributed to doctors, hospitals and medical centers.

If all goes well in these trials, Johnson & Johnson anticipates the first batches of its COVID-19 vaccine to be available for emergency use as early as the first few months of 2021.

This a large-scale, multi-country trial: Johnson & Johnson is enrolling up to 60,000 volunteers across three continents to take the vaccine. The study participants are 18 years old and older, “including significant representation from those that are over age 60,” said Johnson & Johnson.

The trial includes those both with and without comorbidities and included participants in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, South Africa and the United States. In the U.S., this includes significant representation of Black, Hispanic/Latinx, American Indian and Alaskan Native participants, said Johnson & Johnson.

These voluntary participants are given a single vaccine dose of the vaccine compared to a placebo, and scientists study how well it does preventing COVID-19.

Results from an earlier study “demonstrated that the safety profile and immunogenicity after a single vaccination were supportive of further development,” according to a company press release.

The vaccine, if successful, is estimated to remain stable for at least three months at 2-8 degrees Celsius, or 35 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit, and two years at -20 degrees Celsius, or -4 degrees Fahrenheit.

This makes the vaccine candidate compatible with standard vaccine distribution channels and would not require new infrastructure to get it to the people who need it, the company said.

With 60,000 people, Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine is being put through the largest test trial in the world, the New York Times reports. The company said it will know by the end of this year whether the vaccine works.

The vaccine is technically being developed by Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. Johnson & Johnson’s global headquarters are located in New Brunswick.

The pharmaceutical giant says this third phase follows “positive interim results from the company’s phase 1 and 2 clinical study.”

Johnson & Johnson has the goal of providing one billion doses of a vaccine each year.

In this statement released Wednesday, the company also promised to make the vaccine affordable for all.

“As COVID-19 continues to impact the daily lives of people around the world, our goal remains the same – leveraging the global reach and scientific innovation of our company to help bring an end to this pandemic,” said Alex Gorsky, Johnson & Johnson CEO.