Johnson & Johnson announced that the covid-19 vaccine it is manufacturing produces a strong immune response in just one dose.
Called Ad26.COV2.S, the vaccine was also well tolerated when administered in two doses, shows the trial that is in an intermediate phase. However, it has not been proven to be effective in protecting the elderly, one of the populations most at risk of contracting the new coronavirus.
The trial involved 1,000 healthy adults. The development of the vaccine is supported by the US government, and began shortly after the first tests in July, have shown strong protection in monkeys who also received only a single dose.
According to Reuters, on Wednesday the company began a new phase of testing, this time in a universe of 60,000 people, which could pave the way for an application for approval from the regulator.
Johnson & Johnson now expects the results of the so-called Phase 3 tests that are expected to emerge by the end of the year or early 2021.
The results, published on the medical website medRxiv, have not yet been peer reviewed.
More data on the safety and efficacy of the vaccine is now expected, which will only be known when the study is completed.
For now, the results justify testing more people to see if there are serious side effects of Ad26.COV2.S.
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