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Johnson & Johnson expects to break its pledge to deliver 10 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine at the end of February, with less than $ 4 million to be ready to ship after a hoped-for emergency use clearance from the Food and Drug Administration.
Johnson & Johnson’s disclosure of the deficit is the first public measure of how exactly the drug company is behind its production targets. Johnson & Johnson has pledged to deliver an additional $ 25million by the end of March.
“We will have 20 million doses of vaccine available by the end of March and we are ready to ship, upon approval for emergency use, nearly 4 million doses of our vaccine”, Dr Richard Nettles, Johnson & Johnson The Janssen subsidiary’s vice president of medical affairs said Tuesday during a hearing of the home’s energy and commerce committee.
He said the company remained “confident in our plans to deliver 100 million” doses by the end of June.
As a single-dose vaccine that can be stored at standard refrigerator temperatures for three months, the Johnson & Johnson candidate was heralded as a key advance in the vaccination effort in the United States despite its slightly lower efficacy, per compared to two-dose vaccines produced by Pfizer and Moderna.
“It’s a very easy vaccine to ship and administer; it doesn’t have all of those complicated requirements, especially like Pfizer, which is a much more delicate vaccine. One dose, you’ve got it, you’re done. vaccine I want, ”said Dr. Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer of the Association of State and Territory Health Officials.
Although the vaccine is logistically simpler, states could face obstacles in deciding which sites to favor for the highest doses or how to handle residents hoping to obtain a vaccine rather than a vaccine. other. Some of that advice could come this weekend, after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s advisory committee on immunization practices met to discuss Johnson & Johnson’s version.
“I think there is this feeling in many jurisdictions that it would be great if this vaccine came with very specific recommendations on who should get it and how to use it,” Plescia said.
States still don’t know how many Johnson & Johnson doses they should expect. The Biden administration plans to be able to allocate 2 million doses next week to the courts.
Johnson & Johnson and federal officials admitted for weeks the company faces hurdles by speeding up production in the United States, prompting the administration to change your vaccination goals.
Last year, states received specific allocations of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines weeks before FDA clearance.
“We plan to be ready when the EUA is approved. It’s not about getting in front of the EUA, it’s just about making sure everything is on lockdown. So when the EUA’s decision will be taken, distribution to Americans will become immediate within 24 hours, “Gus Perna, head of the Trump administration’s vaccine distribution effort, told reporters last year.
By comparison, prior to this week, officials in the Biden administration had refused to provide a specific number of doses they expected from Johnson & Johnson, let alone the allowances states should expect. Asked whether some of the doses would be reserved for pharmacies or other federal programs, the administration said only on Monday it was waiting to finalize its strategy after the FDA and CDC spoke out.
“Once we understand what the scientific community has to say, then we will be able to answer, I think, the very relevant questions on which we need the advice of scientists,” said Andy Slavitt, Senior Advisor at the White House.
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