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Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...south-n1255400
J&J says vaccine effective against Covid, though weaker against South Africa variant
The vaccine could be authorized by the FDA by the end of February.
Jan. 29, 2021, 8:00 AM EST / Updated Jan. 29, 2021, 11:14 AM EST
By Erika Edwards
A single shot of Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 vaccine is effective at keeping people out of the hospital and dying from the illness, the company reported Friday.
Johnson & Johnson, which made the vaccine in partnership with Janssen Pharmaceuticals, is poised to ask the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization as early as next week. If ultimately authorized, it would be the third Covid-19 vaccine available in the U.S., along with Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.
Johnson & Johnson's phase 3 trial results found that in the U.S., the vaccine was 72 percent effective in preventing moderate to severe disease. Moderate illness included symptoms such as low oxygen levels, shortness of breath or deep vein thrombosis, while more severe outcomes include hospitalization and death.
When researchers looked just at the shot's effect on severe disease, it was shown to be 85 percent effective.
This interim analysis focused on 468 cases of symptomatic Covid-19, though the overall research included more than 44,000 participants in the U.S., South Africa, and several Latin American countries.
Efficacy for both moderate and severe illness varied widely by region. While the U.S. data showed 72 percent effectiveness, that percentage fell to 66 percent globally. And in South Africa, where a worrisome variant is the predominant strain, the effectiveness fell to 57 percent.
Still, "not a single person who got vaccinated, and had illness after four weeks, ended up in the hospital," Dr. Mathai Mammen, global head of pharmaceutical research and development at Johnson & Johnson, told NBC News. This "leads me to believe that this vaccine will stop this pandemic."
In other words, adding the Johnson & Johnson product to the vaccine toolbox may serve to transform Covid-19 into more of an outpatient illness...
J&J says vaccine effective against Covid, though weaker against South Africa variant
The vaccine could be authorized by the FDA by the end of February.
Jan. 29, 2021, 8:00 AM EST / Updated Jan. 29, 2021, 11:14 AM EST
By Erika Edwards
A single shot of Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 vaccine is effective at keeping people out of the hospital and dying from the illness, the company reported Friday.
Johnson & Johnson, which made the vaccine in partnership with Janssen Pharmaceuticals, is poised to ask the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization as early as next week. If ultimately authorized, it would be the third Covid-19 vaccine available in the U.S., along with Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.
Johnson & Johnson's phase 3 trial results found that in the U.S., the vaccine was 72 percent effective in preventing moderate to severe disease. Moderate illness included symptoms such as low oxygen levels, shortness of breath or deep vein thrombosis, while more severe outcomes include hospitalization and death.
When researchers looked just at the shot's effect on severe disease, it was shown to be 85 percent effective.
This interim analysis focused on 468 cases of symptomatic Covid-19, though the overall research included more than 44,000 participants in the U.S., South Africa, and several Latin American countries.
Efficacy for both moderate and severe illness varied widely by region. While the U.S. data showed 72 percent effectiveness, that percentage fell to 66 percent globally. And in South Africa, where a worrisome variant is the predominant strain, the effectiveness fell to 57 percent.
Still, "not a single person who got vaccinated, and had illness after four weeks, ended up in the hospital," Dr. Mathai Mammen, global head of pharmaceutical research and development at Johnson & Johnson, told NBC News. This "leads me to believe that this vaccine will stop this pandemic."
In other words, adding the Johnson & Johnson product to the vaccine toolbox may serve to transform Covid-19 into more of an outpatient illness...