J&J COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate Co-Developed by Beth Israel Deaconess

Beginning in January 2020, Johnson & Johnson has been working in collaboration with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and scientists at multiple academic institutions to research potential COVID-19 vaccine candidates. Based on this work, J&J has identified a lead vaccine candidate (with two back-ups), which will progress into the first manufacturing steps. Under an accelerated timeline, the company is aiming to initiate a Phase 1 clinical study in September 2020, with clinical data on safety and efficacy expected to be available by the end of the year. This could allow vaccine availability for emergency use in early 2021.

In addition to the vaccine candidate, J&J also announced the expansion of the existing partnership between its Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies and BARDA (the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). BARDA and J&J together have committed more than $1 billion of investment to co-fund vaccine research, development, and clinical testing and have provided additional funding that will enable expansion of their ongoing work to identify potential antiviral treatments against the novel coronavirus.

As part of its commitment, J&J is also expanding its global manufacturing capacity, including 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 vaccine globally. The company plans to begin production at risk imminently and is committed to bringing an affordable vaccine to the public on a not-for-profit basis for emergency pandemic use.

The COVID-19 vaccine program is leveraging the same Janssen technology platform that was used to develop and manufacture the company’s Ebola vaccine and construct the Zika, RSV, and HIV vaccine candidates which are currently in Phase 2 or Phase 3 clinical development stages. (Source: Johnson & Johnson Website, 30 March, 2020)