COVID-19: Johnson & Johnson starts final trial of single-shot vaccine, Ivanka posts update

As Johnson & Johnson announced that it has begun the Phase III trial testing of its potential coronavirus vaccine, Ivanka Trump took to Twitter to inform that this is the fourth Phase III trial for a COVID-19 vaccine in America. Currently, the United States has a handful of other vaccines, including Moderna, Pfizer and AstraZeneca. All the four drugmaker companies are backed by the Trump administration’s COVID-19 vaccine program Operation Warp Speed. 

READ: Bharat Biotech Inks Deal With US-based Varsity For Single Dose Intranasal COVID Vaccine

J&J’s announcement of beginning the final study comes after the US President Donald Trump tweeted the link to a news report about the company’s study and said that FDA ‘must move quickly’. The final stage of the clinical trials involves the testing of the doses on thousands of participants to and monitor the results. With US election just around the corner, Trump has been touting COVID-19 vaccines to dismiss the overshadowing criticism on his handling of the pandemic and promote his reelection. 

‘Enough vaccine for every citizen by April 2021’

Meanwhile, last week, Trump announced that his administration expects to have vaccines for every American citizen by April 2021. He said that once the vaccine is finally approved it will be immediately shipped out so that it can be delivered to the American people as quickly as possible with hundreds of millions of doses becoming available every month. 

READ: Late-stage Study Of First Single-shot Vaccine Begins In US

While speaking at the briefing, Trump hailed the ‘brilliant’ doctors and medical professionals and said that even though the world was eagerly waiting for a COVID-19 vaccine, the golden standard for clinical trials was being followed for the vaccine in the US so as to ensure a safe and effective drug. 

Last week, the US government had announced its ambition vaccine distribution plan that aims to vaccinate all American citizens free of charge. The distribution plan for the vaccine, as part of Operation Warp Speed, was outlined in two documents released by the US Department of Health and Human Services and the US Department of Defense.

READ: DCGI Issues New Guidelines For Pharmaceutical Companies Working On COVID-19 Vaccine

READ: 50 Pc Efficacy In Phase 3 Trials Needed For COVID-19 Vaccine Approval: Drug Authority's Draft Guidelines