Mumbai: US-based global healthcare company Johnson & Johnson on Monday announced the selection of a lead COVID-19 vaccine candidate, adding that it expects to initiate testing of the vaccine in humans at the latest by September this year.
The first batches of a COVID-19 vaccine could be available for emergency use authorization in early 2021, the company said.
Through a landmark new partnership, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), which is part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Johnson & Johnson together have committed more than $1 billion of investment to co-fund vaccine research, development, and clinical testing.
Johnson & Johnson said it will use its validated vaccine platform and is allocating resources, including personnel and infrastructure globally, as needed, to focus on these efforts.
Separately, BARDA and Johnson & Johnson have provided additional funding that will enable the expansion of their ongoing work to identify potential antiviral treatments against the novel coronavirus.
As part of its commitment, Johnson & Johnson is also expanding the company’s global manufacturing capacity, including through the establishment of new U.S. vaccine manufacturing capabilities and scaling up capacity in other countries.
The additional capacity will assist in the rapid production of a vaccine and will enable the supply of more than one billion doses of a safe and effective vaccine globally, the company said. (IANS)
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