The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has just issued a statement recommending the use of the Janssen vaccine in Europe for those over 18 years of age, great news given the current problems in the supply of vaccines to protect against COVID -19.
According to experts from the EMA Medicines Committee, the Johnson and Johnson / Janssen vaccine data is robust and meets criteria for efficacy, safety and quality. This vaccine against COVID-19 will therefore be the fourth to be approved in the European Union to prevent the disease.
First single-dose vaccine in Europe
Another piece of good news is that Janssen’s vaccine is the first single-dose vaccine to be approved in Europe, something that will undoubtedly speed up vaccination campaigns and is expected to help unblock the current supply shortage situation.
67% efficiency
The results of a clinical trial involving citizens of the United States, South Africa, and various Latin American countries reveal that Janssen’s COVID-19 vaccine is effective in preventing infection in people over 18 years of age. Two weeks after receiving the vaccine, a 67% reduction in the number of cases with symptoms was found.
The side effects of this vaccine are similar to those of the rest of the drugs already approved to prevent COVID-19: pain at the injection site, muscle pain, nausea, headache and fatigue. All of these symptoms were generally mild to moderate and disappeared two days after vaccination.
This is how the Janssen vaccine works
It is a vaccine based on a deactivated virus (adenovirus) that has been modified to contain the gene that makes the S protein of SARS-CoV-2, key for the entry of the virus into the cells of our body. In this way, the adenovirus transmits the SARS-CoV-2 gene to the cells of the vaccinated person. The cells can then use the gene to make protein S, which in turn will be recognized by the immune system . This will produce antibodies and activate the T cells to attack it so that, if later the person comes into contact with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, their immune system will recognize the S protein and will be ready to defend the body.
