By
Tolu Ajiboye
December 13th, 2023
Johnson & Johnson has commenced a phase 3 trial of its one-shot vaccine. The company will recruit a total of 60,000 participants. JNJ stock is in the green.
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) has started a large trial of its one-shot coronavirus vaccine. According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccine trial will involve 60,000 participants. Apart from Johnson & Johnson, three other companies backed by Trump’s Operation Warp Speed are in phase 3 trials.
At the beginning of the year, several companies, including Johnson and Johnson, started working to produce an effective coronavirus vaccine. In early April, the Trump administration introduced Operation Warp Speed to facilitate the development and distribution of a working coronavirus vaccine.
Johnson & Johnson Begins Final Stages of One-Shot Vaccine Testing
Before now, Johnson & Johnson went through initial trial stages and is now entering the final stages of testing. The company’s vaccine is the fourth to enter the large phase 3 trial stage in the U.S. However, amongst all four, the Johnson & Johnson offering is the only one-shot vaccine. The 60,000 participants would be above 18 years old and recruited across 215 locations in the U.S. and other countries.
To cater to the global need for a vaccine, NIAID director Dr. Anthony Fauci said multiple vaccines will be needed. He added:
“…the Janssen candidate [Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine] has showed promise in early-stage testing and may be especially useful in controlling the pandemic if shown to be protective after a single dose.”
Also, the drug maker’s vaccine does not need to be frozen, unlike its competitors’ vaccine candidates. This will make it easier to administer and distribute.
Commending Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot vaccine, Dr. Daniel Barouch of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center said:
“I mean, just think about yourself – how much easier would it be for you to go to your local doctor or your local drugstore and be once and done?”
More on One-Shot Vaccine
According to the chief scientific officer of Johnson & Johnson, Paul Stoffels, the company will be able to determine the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine by the end of the year. Speaking at a news conference on the 22nd September, he revealed that the company is planning to produce 1 billion doses in 2021.
Furthermore, Stoffels noted that it may take up to two months to reach the required number of participants. Notably, Johnson & Johnson aims to recruit participants in other countries like Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Peru and South Africa.
Similar to other companies working on a vaccine, Johnson & Johnson promised to publish an online manuscript of full protocol for its trial. Before now, Moderna Inc (NASDAQ: MRNA) and Pfizer Inc (NYSE: PFE) released full protocol for their trials.
According to a report by The Washington Post, Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine is the first that aims at protecting people with just a single shot.
JNJ was up 2.38% to $147.64 at premarket trading. Now, as the market opened, it is up 1.17%, at $145.90. Over the past year, Johnson & Johnson’s stock increased by more than 10%. Also, the pharmaceutical company has gained 3.14% in the past three months.
However, the drugmaker has lost more than 1% in its year-to-date record and 5.31% over the past month. The company has also declined by nearly 3% in the last five days.