Johnson & Johnson applies for the approval of a Corona vaccine in the EU - what is known about the vaccine?

Hannover. The American pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson has applied for approval from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for the placing of its Corona vaccine. The EMA announced on Tuesday. "The Human Medicine Committee (CHMP) of the EMA will evaluate the vaccine known as Janssen Covid-19-vaccine according to an accelerated schedule."

The committee could make a statement by mid-March 2021, provided that the company's data on the effectiveness, safety and quality of the vaccine are sufficiently comprehensive and robust, according to an explanation. Such a short time for the evaluation is only possible because the EMA has already checked some data during an ongoing review. In this Phase, EMA already evaluated quality data and data from laboratory studies how well the vaccine triggers the production of antibodies and immune cells.

If the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is approved, this would be the fourth Corona vaccine in the EU. Vaccines of Biontech / Pfizer, Moderna and Astrazeneca have already been approved. A little more than a week ago, Johnson & Johnson also applied for an emergency permit in the USA.

EU Commission ordered 200 million cans

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the step of the manufacturer. The EU Commission will give approval as soon as the EMA has given a positive scientific assessment, said von der Leyen. The EU Commission has ordered vaccination boxes for 200 million people from Johnson & Johnson. The special feature: a dose is probably sufficient for immunization. All other vaccines currently used must be injected twice.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is a vector vaccine. It is based on a harmless human cold virus (adenovirus 26), which contains the genetic information for the spike protein of the coronavirus. When the rhinitis virus binds to human cells, the genetic information is released and SARS-COV-2 antigens are produced that are presented to the immune system. In this way, the desired immune response can be triggered.

Intermediate results of the phase III study: Vaccinema shows 66 percent protection against COVID-19

At the beginning of February, Johnson & Johnson announced an interim result of his phase III study with around 44,000 subjects, according to which the vaccine offers 66 percent protection against moderate or severe covid 19 diseases four weeks after administer. The effectiveness against serious diseases was given as 85 percent. The percentages mean that there were fewer cases in the vaccinated test group than in the placebo test group.

In contrast to the vaccines of Biontech / Pfizer and Moderna, the vector vaccine can be transported and stored at refrigerator temperature. In the case of competitive products that are already used in the EU and are injected twice every few weeks, the effectiveness according to study results is significantly higher.