Johnson & Johnson’s Single-dose vaccine got approval from the government and will be brought to India through a supply agreement with the homegrown vaccine maker Biological E limited.
The New Addition
US Pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose Covid-19 Vaccine has received a nod from the emergency approval in India as tweeted by Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.
“India expands its vaccine basket!
Johnson and Johnson’s single-dose Covid-19 vaccine is approved for emergency use in India.
Now India has 5EUA vaccines this will further boost our nation’s collective fight against Covid-19,” he tweeted on Saturday.
It became the fifth vaccine after Covishield, Covaxin, Sputnik v, and Moderna.
JNJ-78436735 or Ad26.COV2.S. vaccine uses a disabled adenovirus, the virus which usually causes cold or flu-like symptoms.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine focuses on the virus’s genetic instructions for building the spike protein.
It acts as the delivery vehicle for the DNA of the SARS-CoV-2, pushing it further into the cell’s nucleus.
But unlike the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which stores the instructions in single-stranded RNA, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine uses double-stranded DNA, which can be kept under refrigerated conditions for up to three months 36–46°F (2–8°C).
The Efficiency of the Vaccine
A New York Times report explained what happens after it enters the cells: The adenovirus pushes its DNA into the nucleus.
It spikes the protein, which can be read by the cell and copied into mRNA. The virus is disabled and hence cannot make copies for itself.
And a study conducted in the US, the vaccine had a 72 percent efficiency rate while 64 percent in South Africa.
On April 13, nearly two months later, the vaccine was put to a halt by the federal health officials when six women had developed a rare blood- clotting disorder.
The US resumed it after nearly 10days with a warning label stating risks.
In May, Denmark discontinued the vaccine over the risks of blood clots and cited the ample amount of the other vaccines.
