The American pharmaceutical subsidiary Johnson & Johnson has applied for marketing authorization to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for its Covid-19 Janssen vaccine.
A decision rendered in March
The Covid-19 Johnson & Johnson vaccine could be the fourth to receive the green light in Europe. It is developed by the American laboratory, but will be marketed and distributed by one of its pharmaceutical divisions in Belgium, the Janssen-Cilag company. Since December 1, this serum has been the subject of continuous monitoring by the EMA and according to it, a decision could be rendered to the ” mid-March 2021 “. The marketing authorization will be conditional. It is a joy for some experts, and in particular for Paul Stoffels, vice-chairman of the executive committee and scientific director of Johnson & Johnson, ” across Europe, there remains an urgent need for additional COVID-19 vaccines, and today’s submission is an important step forward in securing the European Union another option to help reduce the impact of the pandemic in Europe and the world “. The company says it is ready to “ start distributing [le] vaccine in the European Union in the second quarter of 2021 “. Indeed, the European Commission has placed an order for 200 million doses of the Covid-19 Janssen vaccine, with a potential first delivery of 100 million doses by June.
The Covid-19 Janssen vaccine in a single dose
The firm Johnson & Johnson uses viral vector technology for its vaccine against Covid-19. Scientists use an adenovirus that causes winter colds. However, the DNA has been modified so that the cells make the Spike or S protein, present on the surface of the Sars-Cov-2 virus. It is administered in a single dose, which represents an advantage over competing vaccines already authorized, such as the vaccine from Pfizer / BioNtech or that from Moderna, which are mRNA vaccines. People are protected from the new coronavirus two weeks after injecting the Janssen vaccine. The latter is 85% effective for severe forms of the disease and 66% overall, according to preliminary clinical studies. On the other hand, its action is relative against the South African variant, as the group indicated last January. However, the Covid-19 Janssen vaccine has another benefit, thanks to its storage method: a temperature between 2 and 8 ° C. It can be stored for 3 months in a conventional refrigerator.
