All eyes on the single-dose Covid-19 vaccine by Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson (J&J), a well-known American company engaged in the development of medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and consumer of packaged products, has joined others like Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna in providing solutions to the crisis at hand [1]. On January 29th, J&J announced the development of their single-dose Janssen Covid-19 vaccine and people were elated. Why? A single dose Covid-19 vaccine would be ideal especially for those in developing countries. A vaccine that is inexpensive, single-dose, and has no cold chain requirements, is a win-win situation for all. Also, it will be less stressful for the healthcare workers since there will be no follow-ups. J&J partnered with the United States (US) government in developing this Janssen single dose Covid-19 vaccine. If authorized, J&J will deliver 100 million doses for the US by the end of June [1]. As usual, no word on when this Janssen vaccine will be available for those in developing countries.

According to J&J, 43,783 people from different countries with 468 symptomatic Covid-19 cases participated in this study [1]. From their results, 28days after vaccination, it showed to be 66% effective overall in the global trial, 72% effective in US trial, and 85% effective overall against severe diseases [1]. I am impressed by the number of people who participated in the study. 43,783 people is a good and large sample size. With participants from various countries globally, different age groups, different emerging variants of Covid-19 cases, these results can be generalized.

While others might consider this a game-changer, I am extremely worried and if given the opportunity, doubt if I would take this Janssen single dose Covid-19 vaccine. J&J has had a history of lawsuits, one which puts me unease. Growing up J&J baby products were very common and still very common in Cameroon and other African countries. But throughout the years, due to numerous reports of cancer links to their baby products, most households do not use J&J baby products anymore, including me. If another company could look into developing a single dose Covid-19 vaccine, this might get more people interested and be willing to take the vaccine.

References

1. Johnson & Johnson Announces Single-Shot Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate Met Primary Endpoints in Interim Analysis of its Phase 3 ENSEMBLE Trial | Johnson & Johnson. (2021). Retrieved 1 February 2021, from https://www.jnj.com/johnson-johnson-announces-single-shot-janssen-covid-19-vaccine-candidate-met-primary-endpoints-in-interim-analysis-of-its-phase-3-ensemble-trial