J&J’s Covid-19 vaccine shows strong activity against Delta variant

Johnson & Johnson said that its single-shot Covid-19 vaccine was 85 per cent effective and could also help prevent hospitalisation and death.

WASHINGTON: Johnson & Johnson said late yesterday that its single-shot Covid-19 vaccine generated strong, persistent activity against the Delta and other highly prevalent variants.

Data showed that the durability of the immune response lasted through at least eight months, the US-based healthcare company said, adding that its vaccine was 85 per cent effective and could also help prevent hospitalisation and death.

“Current data for the eight months studied so far shows that the single-shot Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine generates a strong neutralising antibody response that does not wane; rather, we observe an improvement over time,” Mathai Mammen, head of research & development at J&J’s drugs business, said in the statement.

The Covid-19 vaccine elicited neutralising antibody activity against the Delta variant, first identified in India, at an even higher level than what was observed for the Beta variant, which was first detected in South Africa, the company said.

J&J has submitted data as a preprint to the website bioRxiv ahead of peer review.