Johnson & Johnson - The African Mirror

Jun

2021

J&J to send two million doses to S.A

SOUTH African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that Johnson & Johnson would send 2 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to the country by the end of the month, making up for the amount lost due to contamination at a U.S. ingredient supplier. Aspen Pharmacare, J&J's local producer, had to destroy 2 million doses of the vaccine after the contamination at a plant in Baltimore, Maryland, was discovered, the latest blow to South Africa's struggling vaccination campaign. "We have received an indication from Johnson & Johnson that it expects to deliver around 2 million vaccines to South Africa by the end of…

Jun

2021

By The African Mirror

SA holds back unsuitable vaccines

COVID-19

South African health inspectors have said they will not release Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines that may have been contaminated during production at a U.S. plant. The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) said it made the decision after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) raised concerns over manufacturing practices at the Baltimore plant. "SAHPRA reviewed the data provided by the FDA and has made a decision not to release vaccine produced using the drug substance batches that were not suitable," SAHPRA said in a statement. The findings by the FDA would impact two million vaccines that are…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

South African study using J&J vaccine will resume

COVID-19

SOUTH African researchers will tomorrow resume a study further evaluating the efficacy of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine in the field, after it was temporarily suspended along with use of the shot in the United States. U.S. regulators recommended pausing the use of the single-shot earlier this month due to extremely rare cases of blood clots but on Friday said the United States could restart vaccinations. Europe's drug regulator has backed its overall benefits against any risk. The Sisonke study is being carried out by the National Department of Health, South African Medical Research Council and Johnson & Johnson among…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

WHO to review COVID-19 vaccines

COVID-19

TECHNICAL experts at the World Health Organization (WHO) will review on April 26 Chinese drugmaker Sinopharm's COVID-19 vaccine for possible emergency use listing, to be followed by the Sinovac jab on May 3, the agency said on Thursday. "We would expect a decision a couple of days later," the WHO said in response to a Reuters query. So far COVID-19 vaccines made by Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson have received a WHO listing - an endorsement of their safety and efficacy that helps to guide countries' regulatory agencies.

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

J&J reports $100 million in vaccine sales as results top forecasts

BUSINESS

JOHNSON & Johnson beat expectations for quarterly earnings and raised its dividend payouts to shareholders yesterday, while reporting $100 million in sales of its COVID-19 vaccine, whose use was paused by U.S. regulators last week. The company, which has previously said the vaccine will be available on a not-for-profit basis until the end of the pandemic, also tightened its forecast for adjusted profit this year, suggesting it was largely performing as previously expected. Use of the company's vaccine was temporarily halted by U.S. regulators as they investigate reports of blood clots in six women, prompting a similar pause in South…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

Lifting of J&J vaccine pause recommended

COVID-19

SOUTH Africa's health regulator has recommended that the government lift the pause on administering drugmaker Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccines, given that certain conditions are met. "These conditions include, but are not limited to, strengthened screening and monitoring of participants who are at high risk of a blood clotting disorder," the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) said. "In addition, measures are to be implemented to ensure the safe management of any participants who develop vaccine-induced thrombosis and thrombocytopenia (VITT)," the statement added. SAHPRA said on Wednesday that it had recently reviewed data from Johnson & Johnson's local research…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

Concerns mount over rival vaccines

COVID-19

CARL O’DONNELL WEALTHY governments are looking to COVID-19 shots from Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc to keep their vaccination programs on track, as safety concerns and production problems sideline vaccines from AstraZeneca Plc and Johnson & Johnson, public health experts and industry analysts say. Countries in Europe and Asia, as well as South Africa, are limiting or halting use of AstraZeneca's shot over safety concerns. Rollout of J&J's one-shot vaccine was paused in the United States and Europe this week over a handful of cases of very rare but dangerous blood clots in the brain, much like AstraZeneca's safety issue.…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

‘Vaccine down payments terms among onerous’

COVID-19

WENDELL ROELF and ALEXANDER WINNING SOUTH Africa agreed to onerous conditions like non-refundable down payments to secure COVID-19 vaccines from Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and Pfizer, its health minister said on Wednesday, describing terms vaccine manufacturers had demanded as "difficult and sometimes unreasonable". The country worst-hit by the pandemic on the African continent in terms of coronavirus infections and deaths is counting on the single-dose J&J and double-shot Pfizer vaccines to ramp up immunisations after a slow start. It has signed deals with the two firms for a combined 61 million doses, enough to vaccinate 46 million people out of…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

FACTBOX- Some countries limit AstraZeneca vaccine use, US pauses J&J shot

COVID-19

SOME countries are restricting the use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to certain age groups or suspending use after European and British regulators confirmed possible links to rare blood clots. Denmark became the first country to stop using the vaccine altogether, as it said results of investigations showed "real and serious side-effects". Johnson & Johnson's single-shot vaccine has also been hit by concerns over blood clots, with European regulators reviewing such cases and U.S. federal health agencies recommending pausing its use for a few days. J&J noted no clear causal relationship had been established between the clots and its vaccine.…

Mar

2021

By The African Mirror

J&J in deal to supply vaccine to AU member states

COVID-19

JOHNSON & Johnson will supply up to 220 million doses of its single-shot COVID-19 vaccine to African Union's 55 member states from the third quarter of 2021, the drugmaker has announced. J&J, through its unit Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, entered into a deal with the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT), which could order an additional 180 million doses, for a combined total of up to 400 million doses through 2022. (https://refini.tv/3cyeFiB) "We need to immunize at least 60% of our population in order to get rid of the virus from our continent. The J&J agreement enables us to move towards achieving…