Johnson & Johnson’s jab could be a lifeline for the EU

The Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine has been shown to be 66 per cent effective at preventing moderate to severe illness, according to data from a phase-3 clinical trial.

The one-shot vaccine has also been shown to be 85 per cent effective at preventing the most serious symptoms – those that require hospitalisation – after 28 days, and 100 per cent effective at preventing these symptoms after 49 days.

There was some geographic variation in the results, which may have been driven by the different coronavirus strains emerging across the world. Trials in the US found the vaccine to be 72 per cent effective against moderate to severe COVID-19 while studies in Latin America and South Africa – where more contagious strains have emerged – found the vaccine to be only 66 per cent and 57 per cent effective, respectively.

J&J’s chief scientific officer, Paul Stoffels, said: “A one-shot vaccine is considered by the World Health Organisation to be the best option in pandemic settings, enhancing access, distribution and compliance.” The vaccine can be also stored in a refrigerator – unlike the Pfizer and Moderna jabs – further reducing the logistical challenges of mass distribution. The cost, at £7 a vaccine, is also lower than most of its competitors bar AstraZeneca.

One of the biggest winners from J&J’s vaccine will be the EU which has pre-ordered 200 million doses of the jab, out of the 346 million doses the firm has been contracted to make. The next biggest clients are the US, the UK, and Canada which have ordered 100 million, 30 million, and 10 million doses, respectively.

If production and approval from the EU can get underway quickly, the J&J vaccine could go a long way to alleviating the shortage the EU is currently experiencing. A senior EU source has suggested that the vaccine might have been approved and be available for use in the EU by 1 April. The US is expected to approve the vaccine in March.

The EU/AstraZeneca row, prompted by a reduction in the number of doses AZ has promised to deliver to the EU, rumbles on. However, the EMA, the EU medicines regulator, has just approved the AstraZeneca vaccine for use in all adults. There had been fears that over-65s would be excluded, after Germany’s vaccine committee recommended that the vaccine should not be given to the elderly, citing a lack of efficiency data in older age groups.