New Delhi, Sep 21 : Another shot of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine can provide 94 per cent protection against the symptomatic disease if given at 56 days apart from the first dose, a latest data from the US pharmaceutical, shared on Tuesday suggested.
J&J has shared new evidence for its COVID-19 jab compiled with real world scenario and phase 3 data, which suggest strong and long-lasting protection of its COVID-19 vaccine. The latest data showed that protection against COVID-19 increases when a booster shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is administered while the safety profile of the vaccine remained consistent and was generally well-tolerated by the recipient, the company said.
The global study also showed the vaccine having 75 percent overall efficacy against severe/critical COVID-19, across all age cohorts and all countries included in the study, which was reduced marginally in the US population. However, the vaccine provided substantial protection against hospitalization and deaths.
“74 percent efficacy in the U.S. against severe/critical COVID-19 (CI, 39%-91%); 89 percent against hospitalization (CI, 24%-100%); 83 percent against COVID-19-related death (CI, 41%-97%),” the data showed.
“The Phase 3 ENSEMBLE 2 study showed that another shot of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine given 56 days after the first provided: 100 percent protection (CI, 33%-100%) against severe/critical COVID-19 – at least 14 days post-final vaccination; 75 percent protection against symptomatic (moderate to severe/critical) COVID-19 globally (CI, 55%-87%) and 94 percent protection against symptomatic (moderate to severe/critical) COVID-19 in the U.S. (CI, 58%-100%),” it added.
The latest study included 390,000 people who received the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine versus approximately 1.52 million unvaccinated people matched on age, sex, time, three-digit zip code, and comorbidities and predictors for COVID-19 infection severity conducted from March to late July 2021.
The firm’s head said that the latest data confirms that the vaccine generates strong immune responses and long-lasting immune memory.
“Our large real-world evidence and Phase 3 studies confirm that the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine provides strong and long-lasting protection against COVID-19-related hospitalizations. Additionally, our Phase 3 trial data further confirm protection against COVID-19-related death. Our single-shot vaccine generates strong immune responses and long-lasting immune memory. And, when a booster of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine is given, the strength of protection against COVID-19 further increases,” said Mathai Mammen, global head, Janssen Research & Development, J&J.
The Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine was given the approval for emergency use in India on August 7. The single-dose vaccine is the fifth COVID-19 jab to be approved for use in India after Covishield, Covaxin, Moderna, and Sputnik V.
