J&J trial shows vaccine effective against variants

Johnson & Johnson trial shows vaccine effective, even against variants Johnson & Johnson's single-shot coronavirus vaccine protected against symptomatic and asymptomatic infection, and prevented hospitalization and death in all participants 28 days after vaccination, Nathaniel Weixel TheHill

Johnson & Johnson's single-shot coronavirus vaccine protected against symptomatic and asymptomatic infection, and prevented hospitalization and death in all participants 28 days after vaccination, according to new clinical trial results published Wednesday.

The vaccine was 67 percent effective on average against moderate to severe–critical COVID-19 at least 14 days after administration, and 66 percent effective at 28 days after vaccination, according to data published in the New England Journal of Medicine. 

The vaccine was about 77 percent effective against severe/critical COVID-19 at 14 days after administration, and 85 percent after 28 days.

The results match up to the initial numbers reported by the company in January — the vaccine offers a level of protection above the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) minimum but lower than the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

Additional data collected since the announcement in January found no evidence of a decline in protection over time, after following approximately 3,000 participants for 11 weeks and 1,000 participants for 15 weeks, the company said.

The results come from the company's massive clinical trial that spanned three continents and enrolled a total of 43,783 participants.

Importantly, the vaccine also showed effectiveness against rapidly-spreading variants, including the B.1.351 variant, which was identified in 95 percent of the COVID-19 cases in South Africa, and the P2 variant, which was identified in 69 percent of COVID-19 cases in Brazil. ...