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Fourth corona vaccine for the EU: Despite the great advantages, there are doubts - the decision will be made today

2021-03-11T10:25:35.887Z


With the corona vaccine from Johnson & Johnson, immunization could also go faster in Germany. But there are already doubts.


With the corona vaccine from Johnson & Johnson, immunization could also go faster in Germany.

But there are already doubts.

  • The corona vaccine from Johnson & Johnson may soon be used in the EU.

  • The preparation differs from other Covid-19 vaccines in some points.

  • According to a report, however, there are doubts as to whether a delivery that has already been promised can be kept.

Brussels - After a year of the corona pandemic *, the third wave threatens to come in Germany *.

More vaccine * is therefore required - and a new approval this Thursday could help in this situation.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) wants to decide on EU-wide approval for the vaccine from the US company Johnson & Johnson.

It would be the fourth corona vaccine after those from Biontech / Pfizer, Moderna and Astrazeneca.

The vaccine is around 86 percent effective against severe Covid 19 diseases *.

One advantage of the Johnson & Johnson vector virus vaccine is that only one dose is required.

It can also be stored at normal refrigerator temperatures.

In the EU, however, doubts have already arisen as to whether the US company can keep the promised delivery of 55 million cans by the end of June.

From EU circles it was reported that the first deliveries were expected in mid-April at the earliest, reports the

AFP

news

agency

.

Johnson & Johnson: How does the corona vaccine work?

As with the Astrazeneca remedy and the Russian Sputnik V vaccine, it is a vector virus vaccine.

A so-called adenovirus is used as a vector.

This usually triggers a common cold, but has been modified to prevent it from multiplying.

The vector sends genetic instructions to the cells to produce a specific protein from the Covid-19 pathogen Sars-CoV2.

In this way, the immune system is prepared to fight the real coronavirus.


Johnson & Johnson: How Effective is the Corona Vaccine?

Preliminary tests by the US drug agency FDA, which granted the vaccine emergency approval at the end of February, confirm that the Johnson & Johnson preparation is very effective.

According to this, the agent prevented serious illnesses by 85.9 percent in a large clinical study in the USA.


In studies in South Africa and Brazil, the effectiveness was 81.7 and 87.6 percent, respectively.

This means that the US company's vaccine also seems to work well against the South African and Brazilian corona mutations *, which are considered to be significantly more contagious.

In the case of the corona vaccines from Biontech / Pfizer and Moderna, which are already approved in the EU, the overall effectiveness is slightly higher at more than 90 percent.

The study at Johnson & Johnson only found an effectiveness of 66.1 percent in averting milder Covid 19 diseases.

There are no reports of severe allergic reactions, as occasionally occurred at Biontech and Moderna, with the J&J agent.

In the study, minor vaccine side effects such as pain at the injection site, tiredness and headache occurred more frequently in young people than in older people.


Johnson & Johnson: What are the benefits of the corona vaccine?

With the corona vaccine from Johnson & Johnson - unlike the funds from Biontech, Moderna and Astrazeneca - a single dose is enough.

This could significantly accelerate the immunization of the population.

The product is also easier to transport and store: According to the company, it can be kept for at least three months at normal refrigerator temperatures between two and eight degrees.

This means that the remedy can be stored in any doctor's office.

The vaccines based on mRNA technology from Biontech and Moderna, on the other hand, have to be stored at around minus 20 degrees.


Johnson & Johnson: How many doses can the EU get?

The vaccine is produced in several plants in the USA, but also in Europe, namely in Leiden in the Netherlands and Bümpliz in Switzerland.

The EU Commission has ordered 200 million cans for the member states and holds an option to purchase another 200 million.

55 million cans are expected to be delivered in the second quarter of this year.

But there are now doubts as to whether the company will be able to do this.

(AFP / dpa / frs)

* Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2021-03-11

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