Johnson & Johnson
JNJ,
said Friday a Phase 3 trial of its one-dose COVID-19 vaccine proved to be 66% effective overall in preventing moderate-to-severe disease 28 days after vaccination, raising hopes it may receive emergency use authorization in the U.S. in the coming weeks. The vaccine candidate was 72% effective in the U.S. trial, the company said in a statement. The vaccine also proved 85% effective in preventing severe disease and showed complete protection against COVID-related hospitalization and death as of day 28. The trial involved 43,783 patients and met all of its primary and secondary endpoints. “The onset of protection was observed as early as day 14,” said the statement. “The level of protection against moderate to severe COVID-19 infection was 72% in the United States, 66% in Latin America and 57% in South Africa, 28 days post-vaccination.” The company will submit the data to a peer-reviewed journal in the coming weeks and expects to file for an EUA in early February. There are high hopes for this vaccine, as it requires just one dose, unlike the currently authorized ones, which require two doses set weeks apart. But the other candidates, one developed by Pfizer Inc.
PFE,
and German partner BioNTech SE
BNTX,
and another developed by Moderna Inc.
MRNA,
had higher efficacy rates of more than 90%. J&J shares were down 4% premarket but are up 12% in the last 12 months, while the S&P 500
SPX,
has gained 16%.
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