Johnson & Johnson Covid Vaccine: Analysts are cautiously optimistic

LONDON – Healthcare systems around the world are struggling to cope with the growing number of Covid-19 infections while fighting against the clock to vaccinate vulnerable people.

The three vaccines currently approved for use by major Western economies require both separate shots, and given reserves are limited, governments are considering controversial tactics, such as extending the time interval between doses to get at least one dose at a time. as many people as possible.

A single vaccine could significantly improve our ability to fight the virus – and we may have it soon.

Johnson & Johnson is expected to deliver the preliminary results of late studies for its single-dose Covid vaccine candidate by the end of January. If it is proven to be safe and effective, the company aims to deliver at least 1 billion doses by the end of the year.

The J&J vaccine was developed by the company’s Belgian unit, Janssen Pharmaceutica, and is based on viral adenovirus vector technology, the same approach used to create the Oxford-AstraZeneca University vaccine. This type of shooting is easier to enlarge than those developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, which are based on RNA messenger technology.

Health analyst Adam Barker of Shore Capital said in an email to CNBC last week: “The J&J vaccine is more like the AstraZeneca vaccine, but it uses a single dose. So we know that this approach works (viral-vector) and targets spike proteins. We know the target works too. But we’ll have to see what a single dose does. “

Morgan Stanley’s healthcare team said in a research note published last week that the J&J vaccine offers “unique elements and its effectiveness could surprise AstraZeneca in a positive way, leading to confidence in pandemic response and market recovery.” .

The investment bank is confident in the safety profile of the vaccine given by data from early studies, “along with the previous success and safety profile demonstrated in the Ebola vaccine, as well as in the use of investigations into HIV, RSV and Zika.”

A report by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, which is founded by the former British Prime Minister, calls AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson “the two horse vaccines” because they should be scalable and easier to administer. than mRNA photographs.

With J & J’s technology, the vaccine is expected to remain stable for at least three months at normal refrigeration temperatures, so it does not require new transport infrastructure.

J&J has completed the enrollment in its clinical trial of 45,000 participants in the third phase for its single-dose vaccine candidate on December 17. Preliminary data from the study are expected to be available by the end of the month.

If the data indicates that the vaccine is safe and effective, the company expects to send an application for authorization for emergency use to the US Food and Drug Administration in February. Other health regulatory applications around the world are expected to be developed in parallel.

The company has pledged to sell the nonprofit vaccine for the use of the emergency pandemic.

J&J entered into an agreement with the US in August 2020 to deliver 100 million doses of vaccine after FDA approval or authorization for emergency use and the option to purchase up to 200 million additional doses under a subsequent agreement.

The UK negotiated an agreement in August to initially purchase 30 million doses of J&J vaccine with the option to purchase up to 22 million additional doses. The EU signed an agreement with J&J in October to deliver up to 400 million doses.

J&J has also agreed to provide up to 500 million doses of its vaccine as part of an agreement in principle with The Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), which is responsible for equitable access to vaccines, including to lower-income countries. through COVAX. These doses will be distributed by 2022 if the vaccine candidate is approved for use.

“If J & J’s Ad26 platform is able to deliver 80% + efficacy through a single dose regimen, given the favorable vaccine handling requirements and the significant scale of manufacture, we would consider this a compelling result. Said Morgan Stanley.

Regarding what governments should do in the meantime, Jonathan Reiner, a professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences, says: “The J&J vaccine is the reason why we should not abandon the two-dose strategy for Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. We’ll probably have all the vaccine we need. We need to focus on getting vaccines in our arms. “