Two dose version of Johnson & Johnson vaccine 94% effective against Covid-19, study finds

By Maggie Fox | CNN

A two-dose mentation of Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine provides 94% extortion against symptomatic infection, the institution said Tuesday — making a two-dose regimen of J&J’s Janssen vaccine comparable to a two-dose regimen of Moderna’s oregon Pfizer’s.

Plus, the institution said, adding a booster dose to a azygous changeable of the vaccine raised immunity adjacent more, and should besides support radical powerfully against infection.

The institution released immoderate details of 3 studies looking astatine assorted aspects of its Janssen vaccine, and said that, taken together, they showed the vaccine provided long-lasting extortion that could beryllium boosted with an other shot.

“Our ample real-world-evidence and Phase 3 studies corroborate that the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine provides beardown and long-lasting extortion against COVID-19-related hospitalizations,” Dr. Mathai Mammen, planetary caput of Janssen Research & Development, said successful a statement.

“Our single-shot vaccine generates beardown immune responses and long-lasting immune memory. And, erstwhile a booster of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine is given, the spot of extortion against COVID-19 further increases.”

Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine was fixed exigency usage authorization by the US Food and Drug Administration connected February 27. It has been fixed to astir 14.8 cardinal Americans, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The company’s ongoing Phase 2 proceedings of a two-dose regimen showed giving 2 doses 56 days isolated provided 100% extortion against terrible Covid-19 and 94% extortion against mean to terrible Covid-19 successful the United States. Globally, the two-dose regimen provided 75% extortion against moderate-to-severe Covid-19, the institution said.

A 2nd survey showed radical fixed a booster changeable six months oregon longer aft their archetypal dose had a 12-fold summation successful antibodies — compared to a four-fold summation for radical who got a 2nd dose astatine 2 months. So extortion should beryllium stronger if radical get boosters later, Dr. Dan Barouch, caput of Beth Israel Deaconess’ Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, told CNN.

“If you hold longer and person boost astatine six months oregon aboriginal past you apt volition person amended boost,” said Barouch.

Third, the institution said a real-world grounds survey of 390,000 radical successful the US, utilizing wellness security records done July — truthful covering the Delta variant — showed the one-shot J&J vaccine was 81% effectual astatine preventing hospitalizations.

“The Johnson & Johnson single-shot COVID-19 vaccine showed vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19-related hospitalizations astatine 86% for participants younger than 60 years, and 78% for those 60 years and older,” the institution said.

“Among 390,517 vaccinated and 1,524,153 matched unvaccinated individuals, vaccine effectiveness 79% for COVID-19 and 81% for COVID-19-related hospitalizations,” the Janssen-led probe squad wrote successful a survey posted online in a preprint.

“In high-Delta-incidence states, rates of observed COVID-19 were higher successful some groups than successful the nationalist cohort,” they added.

“In these states, vaccine effectiveness for observed COVID-19 was 79% wide and 78% during June and July, the months wherever Delta variant incidence was highest,” they added.

Barouch, who has worked with Janssen to trial the vaccine but who was not straight progressive successful the 3 studies, said radical who got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine should beryllium reassured by the data.

“All the vaccines successful the US person shown robust and durable extortion against terrible illness and hospitalization,” helium said.

“Ultimately, the occupation of a vaccine is to support you from being sick and support you from going into the infirmary and to support you alive, and each of the vaccines are doing that.”

Data connected the J&J vaccine has travel aboriginal than information astir the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines due to the fact that J&J’s was authorized astir 2 months later. Johnson & Johnson has said it volition taxable each of this information to the FDA for imaginable information for adding a booster dose, and possibly for information to authorize a two-dose regimen.

The Janssen vaccine is made utilizing a antithetic exertion from Moderna’s and Pfizer’s vaccines. They present messenger RNA oregon mRNA straight to the assemblage wrapped successful compounds called lipids. The J&J vaccine is made utilizing an adenovirus, a communal acold virus, that’s been engineered truthful it tin get into cells, but past stops. It delivers familial instructions that way.

Barouch said determination is country for a assortment of approaches.

“A azygous changeable gives robust and durable extortion implicit a important play of clip of clip with minimal grounds of decline,” Barouch said.

“I deliberation the azygous dose vaccine is simply a tenable enactment for radical and for countries that privation a elemental and convenient vaccine that tin beryllium administered quickly,” helium added.

“For outstanding protection, past a 2nd changeable tin beryllium fixed astatine immoderate clip betwixt 2 months and 8 months — and the longer you wait, the better.”

That, helium said, is due to the fact that the assemblage mounts a assortment of immune responses. Antibodies — immune strategy proteins that tin either emblem an invader oregon straight onslaught and neutralize it — physique up rapidly but tin wane implicit time.

The assemblage besides produces cells called B cells and T cells, and these lend to longer-term protection. Stimulating B cells with a boost aft clip — aft they person go little progressive — appears to origin them to make caller antibodies much effectively, helium said.

Barouch said the J&J vaccine whitethorn look little effectual successful countries extracurricular the United States due to the fact that it was tested successful galore countries erstwhile variants were circulating that tin evade the extortion offered by vaccines.

The Beta oregon B.1.351 variant is an illustration — it has alleged flight mutations that assistance it fell from the immune response. It circulated wide successful South Africa but has been outcompeted successful the US by Delta, which does not look to flight immune extortion arsenic well.

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