Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine has given a strong immunity positive response in an early trial

A single dose of Johnson & Johnson’s experimental COVID-19 vaccine produced a strong immune response against the novel Coronavirus in an early-to-mid stage clinical trial.

A single dose of Johnson & Johnson’s experimental COVID-19 vaccine produced a strong immune response against the novel Coronavirus in an early-to-mid stage clinical trial, according to interim results published on Friday.

The vaccine, called Ad26.COV2.S, was equally well-tolerated at two different doses. A single shot, versus a rival two-dose approach was being tested by Moderna Inc and Pfizer Inc, this could simplify the distribution of vaccine.

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Though, it is unclear whether elderly people will be protected to the same degree as younger people with the J&J vaccine.

Based on the current results, J&J on Wednesday kicked off a final 60,000-person trials, which could pave the way for an application for regulatory approval. The company said it expects results of that so-called Phase 3 trial by the end of the year or early next year.

The results, which were released on the medical website https://www.medrxiv.org/, have not been peer-reviewed.

Researchers, including those from J&J’s unit Janssen Pharmaceuticals, said 98% of participants with data available for the interim analysis had neutralizing antibodies, which defend cells from pathogens, 29 days after vaccination.

However, immune response results were available from only a small number of people – 15 participants – over 65 years old, limiting the elucidation.

In participants older than 65, the rate of unfavourable reactions such as fatigue and muscle aches was 36%, much lower than the 64% seen in younger participants. Suggesting the immune response in older people may not be as strong.