Whirl around new vaccine: does the US want to prevent delivery in the EU? Explosive report on delay

Johnson & Johnson's corona vaccine has been approved and ordered in the EU.

The delivery is delayed.

Probably because of concerns about the American export attitude.

• The EMA has recommended approval of Johnson & Johnson's corona vaccine.

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

• The promised delivery will probably not come until mid-April due to doubts about the US line

Update from March 12, 4:35 p.m.:

The late delivery from Johnson & Johnson probably has a delicate background.

On Thursday it was approved in the EU and 200 million cans were ordered.

Now there are problems with the supply chain.

"The truth is that deliveries can be expected in mid-April at the earliest, according to Johnson & Johnson," Health Minister Jens Spahn told ARD.

Apparently, Johnson & Johnson has doubts about the US vaccine line.

As the German press agency has learned, the company fears an export ban from the United States.

Sources in Brussels are said to have confirmed this concern.

The order to stop the export of corona vaccines was issued by Donald Trump.

Originally, the vaccine, which was developed in the Netherlands and partly produced in Europe, was supposed to be bottled in the USA.

Meanwhile, however, there are apparently doubts about the US promise that the quantities can be exported again without any problems.

Johnson & Johnson therefore decided at short notice for another filling location in order to bypass the USA.

This change is now costing time.

Update from March 11, 2:28 p.m.:

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended the approval of the corona vaccine from the US manufacturer Johnson & Johnson in the EU.

The EMA announced on Thursday in Amsterdam.

The final decision on the conditional marketing authorization must now be made by the EU Commission - this is a matter of form and can also be done on Thursday.

Johnson & Johnson: Fourth corona vaccine for the EU

First report from March 11th:

Brussels - After a year of corona pandemic *, the third wave is threatening 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)

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