Johnson & Johnson set to start India trial of its single-shot vaccine quickly

In a major growth that might ramp up the supply of vaccines in India, US pharma big Johnson & Johnson, the one producer with a single-dose Covid-19 vaccine, has communicated to the Indian regulator that it’ll quickly start bridging scientific trials within the nation.
Top authorities sources informed The Indian Express that J&J will quickly conduct the trials, which may pave the way in which for its vaccine to be marketed in India. “Johnson & Johnson has sent a letter to the CDSCO (Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation) that they will very shortly apply for permission to conduct clinical bridging trials in India,” the sources mentioned.

India is seeking to ramp up its vaccine doses amidst excessive demand as a result of second surge of coronavirus within the nation, with a number of states saying they’re operating out of provides.
A bridging trial is a scientific trial the place the regulator asks the agency to enroll a small variety of contributors (round 1,000) to solely set up the protection and immunogenicity of a vaccine. The bridging trial doesn’t want to check the efficacy of a vaccine, which is already established in one other scientific trial.
Sources mentioned J&J’s bridging trial can be just like the trial being carried out by Dr Reddy’s for Russian vaccine Sputnik V and the one achieved by the Serum Institute of India for the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine.

In India, J&J has tied up with Biological E to increase manufacturing capabilities of its vaccine candidate.
In February, the US regulators had issued Emergency Use Authorization for the Covid vaccine developed by J&J’s Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies. The approval was based mostly on knowledge from the Phase 3 ensemble examine that demonstrated that the vaccine was 85% efficient in stopping extreme illness throughout all of the areas studied — and 66% to 72% efficient in stopping “moderate to severe” Covid — and that it confirmed safety towards Covid-related hospitalisation and loss of life, starting 28 days after vaccination.

The firm began delivering the single-shot vaccine in direction of the tip of March, with the US asserting a roadmap to immunise its total grownup inhabitants.
J&J is utilizing its AdVac vaccine platform , which was additionally used to develop and manufacture Janssen’s European Commission-approved Ebola vaccine and develop its Zika, RSV, and HIV investigational vaccine candidates. Janssen’s AdVac vectors are based mostly on a genetically modified adenovirus that may now not replicate in people and trigger illness.
On Thursday, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan harassed that the federal government is “continuously monitoring and enhancing supply” of vaccines and that no less than 2.4 crore doses can be found. Before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assembly with chief ministers, he tweeted: “Let’s put an end to fear mongering now! #COVID19Vaccine doses: Total administered: 9 cr+; In stock/nearing delivery to states: 4.3 cr+. Where does question of shortages arise?”

The Union minister additionally countered Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope’s cost of discrimination, and of his state receiving a disproportionate quantity of doses in comparison with BJP-ruled states. “Hue & cry by certain States about partisanship by the Union Govt is just a farce, an attempt to hide their own incompetence. Maharashtra and Rajasthan are 2 of the top 3 States based on allocation of #COVID19Vaccine doses. Both are non-BJP governed States,” Vardhan tweeted.
He mentioned that Maharashtra had obtained the utmost doses (1,06,19,190), adopted by Gujarat (1,05,19,330) and Rajasthan (1,04,95,860). However, whereas these three are among the many top-rankers in administering vaccinations, Maharashtra case numbers far outnumber Gujarat and Rajasthan.