The European Medicines Agency has announced that it supports the granting of access to the EU market for the Jansen vaccine, a European representative of Johnson & Johnson.
“The EMA recommends that a conditional marketing authorization for the COVID-19 Janssen vaccine be given to people over the age of 18,” the statement said.
“After an in-depth evaluation, the EMA’s Committee for Human Medicines (CHMP) reached a consensus that the vaccine data are reliable and meet the criteria for efficacy, safety and quality. The COVID-19 Janssen vaccine is the fourth vaccine recommended in the EU to prevent of COVID-19 “, the agency also writes.
The vaccine is the first to be given in a single dose.
It is noted that so far this vaccine has been tested on 44,000 people in the United States, South Africa and Latin America. It has been shown that two weeks after immunization 67% of those vaccinated were prevented from serious illness. The vaccine is recommended for adults, and the side effects are mild to moderate – fatigue, dizziness, muscle aches and headaches – and last up to several days.
Jansen’s drug against the new disease is the fourth to receive the green light for use in the European Union for people over the age of 18 and will come into use once it has been approved by the European Commission. So far, Pfizer, Astra Zeneca and Moderna vaccines have been approved in the community.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has already been approved in the United States, Canada and Bahrain, and an accelerated assessment is under way in the Republic of South Africa.
Earlier today, the European Medicines Agency announced that it was launching an evaluation of a drug against KOVID-19.
Main features of the vaccine
The preparation is a type of vector vaccine. This means that with the help of a carrier virus (vector), which is harmless to humans, genetic material from the coronavirus is introduced into the cells of the body, which subsequently multiplies there. The immune system reacts and makes antibodies.
The Jansen vaccine works on the same principle as the Astra Zeneca. The only difference between them is that manufacturers use different virus carriers, notes Deutsche Welle.
Modern mRNA vaccines, such as BioNTech / Pfizer and Moderna, do not inject a virus, but directly part of the genetic material of the coronavirus. This genetic information functions as a plan for the reproduction of coronaviruses. This results in an immune response in which antibodies are formed.
The use of live viruses in vector vaccines is highly effective because they give a stronger immune response. However, if a person has developed immunity to the vector virus, this may reduce the effectiveness.
Advantages over others
One of the great advantages of Johnson & Johnson is that only one dose is enough. All other vaccines currently administered in Germany require two doses. In addition, this vaccine can be stored in a regular refrigerator, as can AstraZeneca. The other two mRNA vaccines require significantly lower temperatures. Moderna – minus 20 degrees, and BioNTech / Pfizer – minus 70 degrees. However, this may change – a few weeks ago BioNTech announced that their vaccine remains stable even when stored in an ordinary freezer – ie. minus 70 degrees are not necessary. When sufficient data from relevant studies become available, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) will decide whether to change transport and storage conditions in Europe.
Her answer against mutations
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has also been tested on a large number of volunteers in Brazil and South Africa. Regarding the mutated variants, the first results from Brazil show that the preparation has an efficiency of 68.1%. In South Africa, the effect was 64%. The British vaccine AstraZeneca has similarly high efficacy against the British mutation as well as against the parent strain of the coronavirus. In the case of the South African mutation, its effect seems to be lower, but there are still no exact data on this issue.
How long does the protection last?
It is not yet clear how long the protective effect against the virus lasts in the Johnson & Johnson product, but this also applies to all approved vaccines to date. Numerous studies are currently being conducted on this issue. It is also unclear whether people who have been vaccinated can pass the virus on to others. And this is the subject of various studies at the moment. The first results from Israel, where mass immunizations are already taking place, show that vaccinated people are less contagious.
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