EXPLAINER
Unlike Pfizer, Moderna, Covishield and Covaxin, the Johnson and Johnson vaccine is given as a single dose and thus seen as a potential game-changer.
Johnson and Johnson's single-dose COVID-19 vaccine has been granted Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) in India, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya made the announcement today. The US drugmaker in a statement said that this is an important step forward in accelerating the availability of their COVID-19 vaccine to help end the pandemic.
"Johnson and Johnson's single-dose COVID-19 vaccine is given approval for Emergency Use in India. Now India has 5 EUA vaccines. This will further boost our nation's collective fight against COVID-19," Mansukh Mandaviya tweeted.
Johnson and Johnson had applied for Emergency Use Authorisation of its COVID-19 vaccine in India on August 5. Four vaccines have already been given Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) in India namely AstraZeneca's Covishield, Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, Russia's Sputnik V, and the United States' Moderna.
In late February this year, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, the vaccine division of Johnson and Johnson, secured an emergency use authorisation in the US for its one-dose vaccine. The vaccine was seen as a potential game-changer. Unlike Pfizer, Moderna, Oxford-AstraZeneca, and even the Bharat Biotech (Covaxin) vaccine, the J&J vaccine is given as a single dose.
Today we look into how Johnson and Johnson's single-dose COVID-19 vaccine is different from its competitors and what makes it special.
The foremost point is that the J&J vaccine doesn't require the cold chain needed to keep the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines from spoiling.
It is cheaper, both on a per-dose basis in comparison to other vaccines like Pfizer and Moderna and because only one dose is needed.
It is convenient because it is a one-and-done option and this might entice some people who have fears and inhibitions.
A single-dose vaccine would be simpler to roll out than those that require booster shots, particularly for hard-to-reach communities and areas.
The Johnson and Johnson vaccine has been tested on different populations of the world and at different times.
It was tested in 44,000 people in the US, South Africa, and Latin America, and most of the testing was months later in the pandemic.
With the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, protection against moderate to severe disease starts about two weeks after people get vaccinated.
By four weeks after the J&J shot, data from the clinical trial showed there were no hospitalisations or deaths.
The vaccine is based on the SARS-CoV-2 virus's genetic instructions for building the spike protein that it uses to enter human cells.
The J&J vaccine uses a different approach to instruct human cells to make the SARS-2 spike protein, which then triggers an immune response.
Unlike the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, which store the instructions in single-stranded RNA, the J&J vaccine uses double-stranded DNA.
The J&J vaccine is adenovirus-based, which is a more rugged type than the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna.
DNA is not as fragile as RNA, and the adenovirus's tough protein coat helps protect the genetic material inside.
As a result, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine can be refrigerated for up to three months at 2 to 8 Degree Celcius.
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