Johnson & Johnson "Factory Awaiting Approval for Mass Production of Vaccine"

"Factory Completed for Increased Production at Contract Manufacturer"
"Lower Immunity Effect Compared to Pfizer but Single Dose Only"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Johnson & Johnson (J&J) announced that the newly established factory for the mass production of its COVID-19 vaccine is awaiting production approval from health authorities. Previously approved as the third COVID-19 vaccine in the United States, the J&J vaccine is expected to be much easier to distribute and administer compared to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, as it can be stored at room temperature and requires only a single dose, despite having lower immunity effectiveness.

According to foreign media such as CNN, on the 1st (local time), Paul Stoffels, Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) of Johnson & Johnson (J&J), said in an interview with NBC News, "The initial batch of 4 million doses of the vaccine is already loaded onto trucks and being shipped across the United States," adding, "This quantity was produced at the existing small-scale factories, and a large-scale factory contracted with Catalent for mass production is awaiting approval from health authorities." Stoffels CSO added that the factory is expected to receive approval within a few days.

Earlier, the J&J vaccine received emergency use authorization from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the previous day, becoming the third commercially available COVID-19 vaccine in the United States. Alex Gorsky, CEO of J&J, stated in a press release immediately after the approval, "4 million doses can be supplied within this week, and 20 million doses by the end of next month," explaining, "We plan to supply 100 million doses by June."

The immunity effectiveness of the J&J vaccine is known to be lower compared to the previously authorized Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. CEO Gorsky emphasized, "The two previously authorized vaccines show over 90% immunity effectiveness, while the J&J vaccine shows 72% effectiveness. However, it is definitely effective against variants and, above all, has the advantage of requiring only one dose."

Health authorities and the medical community in the U.S. also expect that if the J&J vaccine, which requires only one dose and is easy to store, is supplied in large quantities, the vaccination rate will increase very rapidly. According to CNBC, unlike other vaccines that require two doses for efficacy, the J&J vaccine requires only one dose, and its efficacy is maintained for more than three months when stored at typical refrigerator temperatures between 2 to 8 degrees Celsius. This makes it much more convenient for shipping and storage compared to Pfizer, which requires ultra-cold storage, and Moderna, which requires frozen storage below minus 20 degrees Celsius.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.