Newly published clinical trial results show that Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 (common virus) vaccine helps prevent moderate to severe infections.
According to the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was 67 percent effective in preventing moderate to severe infections with COVID-19 (disease caused by the common virus) after 14 days of vaccination.
Researchers also found that all 44,325 participants were 66 percent effective in preventing hospitalization and death following infection within 28 days of vaccination.
Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine was authorized for emergency use in February. However, its use is currently suspended because vaccinated individuals are experiencing low blood clot and platelet levels while fighting multiple viral variants in the United States.
The ongoing clinical trial, known as the ENSEMBLE study, includes what is known as the South African variant of the virus and a virus believed to be from the Brazilian variant.
The vaccine was 64 percent effective against moderate to severe disease from the South African variant and 68.1 percent effective against the other variants.
Mathai Mammen, Ph.D., global head of research and development at Janssen, said in a statement that the data “demonstrate that with a single injection, our vaccine provides high levels of activity in all variants and regions studied.”
He added, “We believe these data support the effectiveness of our COVID-19 (CCA virus) vaccine and the important role it can play in helping to address the global epidemic that continues to threaten people and health care systems around the world.”
Janssen, a pharmaceutical subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, developed the COVID-19 vaccine, also known as Ad26.COV2.S.
The trial “demonstrated the efficacy of a single dose of the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine in preventing COVID-19,” the researchers wrote in the journal article.
The randomized, double-blind trial investigating the adenovirus vector vaccine is being conducted in several countries, including the United States, Brazil, South Africa and Mexico. The trial is being conducted by Operation Warp Speed, a federal government initiative led by former President Donald Trump, and Janssen.
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