Johnson & Johnson vaccine 66 percent effective, drops against South Africa variant

Johnson & Johnson vaccine 66 percent effective, drops against South A COVID-19 single-shot vaccine from Johnson & Johnson was 66 percent effective in preventing moderate or severe disease in a Phase 3 clinical trial, a level of protection above the Food and Drug Peter Sullivan TheHill

A COVID-19 single-shot vaccine from Johnson & Johnson was 66 percent effective in preventing moderate or severe disease in a Phase 3 clinical trial, a level of protection above the Food and Drug Administration's minimum, but lower than authorized Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

There is also a warning sign from the variant found in South Africa. The efficacy dropped from 72 percent in the United States, to 57 percent in South Africa, where a new coronavirus variant is prevalent.

That new variant has responded less well to a range of vaccines, including now this one, causing concern among experts. Still, a range of vaccines will likely provide protection against the variant.

The company plans to file for authorization from the FDA in "early February," meaning the vaccine could soon add to the U.S. arsenal against the virus.

The company emphasized that its vaccine is 85 percent effective in preventing severe disease, and was 100 percent effective in preventing hospitalization or death starting 28 days after vaccination. That is a crucial point, meaning that even if the vaccine is somewhat less effective in preventing people from getting sick at all, it still appears to protect well against people having to go to the hospital or dying.

The overall level of 66 percent is below the roughly 95 percent for Pfizer and Moderna. But it is well above the FDA minimum of 50 percent for authorization.

Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses, as opposed to the one dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, meaning it will be easier to distribute.

The company said it is on track to meet its commitment of 100 million doses for the U.S. by the end of June, though officials declined to provide a timeline for how many doses would be available immediately upon authorization. ...