US drugs regulator has virtually cleared the path for a third COVID-19 vaccine, confirming the efficacy and safety of the Johnson & Johnson shot on February 24. J&J’s one-shot vaccine could join Pfizer & Moderna’s shots as early as this week in the battle against a pandemic that has killed more than half a million people in the United States, a grim milestone crossed earlier this week.
An advisory committee of experts appointed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will meet on February 26 to evaluate the findings & grant emergency use authorisation. According to papers submitted by J&J to the FDA seeking emergency use go-ahead, the vaccine has demonstrated an overall efficacy level of 66% - 72% in the United States & 57% in South Africa, a country that is dealing with a highly contagious strain of the coronavirus.
