Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine 66% effective | What difference from others?

Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine 66% effective | What difference from others?   Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine has an effective rate of 66%. What is the difference between it and several vaccines on the market?

On January 29, Johnson & Johnson announced the end of Phase III clinical trials of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate. The vaccine has an effective rate of 66% in preventing moderate to severe COVID-19 virus infections. The company is collating data and plans to apply for emergency use authorization from the US FDA.

At present, the COVID-19 vaccines of Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca have been widely distributed in European and American countries.

What is the difference between Johnson & Johnson’s vaccines?

It is essentially not toxic. 

After the scientists extracted the new coronavirus RNA, they integrated it with the weakened adenovirus 26 to make the Johnson & Johnson new coronavirus vaccine. This adenovirus is a type of common cold virus, which can enter cells after being weakened, but cannot replicate to cause disease. The principle of the AstraZeneca vaccine is similar, but the adenovirus used comes from chimpanzees.

Professor William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert in the Department of Health Policy of Vanderbilt University, explained that adenovirus can carry the RNA of the new coronavirus into human cells, and then make the new coronavirus spike protein fragments. It is non-toxic, only some harmless spike protein of the new coronavirus on the surface, which is essentially a “sheep in wolf skin”. When the immune system finds it, it will produce an immune response. In the future, “the wolf is really here” will quickly respond and provide protection.

The vaccine has an effective rate of 66% in preventing moderate to severe infections

Johnson & Johnson announced that the vaccines developed by the company in clinical trials in the United States, Latin America, and South Africa have an effective rate of 72%, 66%, and 57%, respectively, to prevent moderate to severe diseases, with an average effective rate of 66%. The overall prevention of severe hospitalization and death is The efficiency is 85%. Among them, 95% of infected people in South Africa are infected with a new coronavirus mutant called B.1.351. This mutant is more infectious and may have a certain resistance to antibodies.

Dr. Mathai Mammen, head of global research and development at Johnson & Johnson, said that people in the vaccine group who are infected by the virus tend to have a shorter course of disease and milder symptoms. All severe hospitalizations and deaths that occurred one month after vaccination were in the placebo group, and there were no severe deaths in the vaccine group.

Single dose vaccine without freezing

According to Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Johnson & Johnson is currently the only single-dose COVID-19 vaccine in Europe and the United States, which can be effective after a single injection, while the Moderna, Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines require two injections.

Single-dose injection is a very big advantage. It does not need to reserve a second dose for the vaccinator, making it easier to manage the vaccination. If it proves effective in practical applications, it will significantly accelerate the promotion of vaccines in the United States and around the world.

Another advantage is the storage temperature. Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine can be stored in a refrigerator at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius for three months, instead of minus 20 degrees Celsius or minus 70 degrees Celsius. Due to the convenience of storage, medical institutions do not need to purchase additional refrigeration equipment, which is particularly beneficial for promotion in rural areas of the United States, general medical clinics, and developing countries around the world.

Approval is expected to be completed in 2-3 weeks, and 100 million doses will be provided in June this year

Johnson & Johnson plans to apply to the US FDA for emergency use authorization in early February. After the FDA has passed the authorization and the US CDC has completed the final approval, the company will initiate the vaccine distribution process.

Pfizer vaccine takes about three weeks from submitting data to obtaining approval, while Moderna vaccine takes more than two weeks. The AstraZeneca vaccine has been distributed in Europe and has not yet been approved by the United States. The approval time for Johnson & Johnson vaccine is expected to be similar to that of Pfizer and Moderna.

Johnson & Johnson has already started vaccine production during its clinical trials. If approved, distribution will begin immediately. Johnson & Johnson has signed a 100 million dose contract with the United States and will complete the order by June.

(source:internet, reference only)

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