J&J's Single-dose Jab Gets Emergency Nod, Another Shot in the Arm for India's Vaccination Drive

India on Saturday approved Johnson and Johnson‘s single-dose Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use in India. The vaccine was one of the early candidates to have been cleared by the US, and was said to have high efficacy at preventing hospitalisation and death in people.

“India expands its vaccine basket! 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 #COVID19 (sic),” Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya tweeted.

A Johnson & Johnson India spokesperson said, “We are pleased to announce that on 7th August 2021, the Government of India issued Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the Johnson & Johnson COVID19 single-dose vaccine in India, to prevent COVID in individuals 18 years of age and older.”

The company will be launching the Covid-19 vaccine in collaboration with with Biological E Limited. This is an important milestone that paves the way for bringing the company’s single-dose Covid-19 vaccine to the people of India, and the rest of the world, Johnson and Johnson said in a statement.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is currently the only shot, which is said to be effective after the only dose. The vaccine can be administered to people who may be hard to reach or who are otherwise unlikely to get a second dose. This may be a help to people who stay out of India, especially the seafarers, who spend several months in the sea.

The company said that a study showed its vaccine was 85 percent effective against “severe/critical disease and demonstrated protection against hospitalisation and death”.

The vaccine was 66.3 percent effective in clinical trials (efficacy) at preventing laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection in people who received the vaccine and had no evidence of being previously infected.

On partnership with Biological E, Johnson and Johnson said, “Biological E will be an important part of our global supply chain network, helping to supply our Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine through the extensive collaborations and partnerships we have with governments, health authorities and organisations such as Gavi and the COVAX Facility.”

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