Advertisement
UK markets close in 5 hours 33 minutes
  • FTSE 100

    7,706.93
    -15.62 (-0.20%)
     
  • FTSE 250

    19,442.54
    -43.99 (-0.23%)
     
  • AIM

    736.13
    -0.50 (-0.07%)
     
  • GBP/EUR

    1.1692
    -0.0012 (-0.10%)
     
  • GBP/USD

    1.2680
    -0.0048 (-0.38%)
     
  • Bitcoin GBP

    49,703.83
    -3,997.92 (-7.44%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    885.54
    0.00 (0.00%)
     
  • S&P 500

    5,149.42
    +32.33 (+0.63%)
     
  • DOW

    38,790.43
    +75.63 (+0.20%)
     
  • CRUDE OIL

    82.63
    -0.09 (-0.11%)
     
  • GOLD FUTURES

    2,156.90
    -7.40 (-0.34%)
     
  • NIKKEI 225

    40,003.60
    +263.20 (+0.66%)
     
  • HANG SENG

    16,529.48
    -207.62 (-1.24%)
     
  • DAX

    17,993.15
    +60.47 (+0.34%)
     
  • CAC 40

    8,179.18
    +31.04 (+0.38%)
     

J&J announces promising Covid-19 booster data, delays on kids vaccine trial

Yahoo Finance's Anjalee Khemlani talks to Mathai Mammen, Johnson & Johnson's global head of R&D, about about the company's new Covid-19 booster shot data and when the vaccine might be ready for kids.

Video transcript

AKIKO FUJITA: Some promising news for Johnson & Johnson its COVID 19 booster shot. The drug maker saying the additional jab showed a significant increase in efficacy when administered two months after the first dose. The results also good six months apart. Let's bring in Yahoo Finance's Anjalee Khemlani. And Anjalee, I know you spoke earlier with J&J's head of R&D. What specifically did we learn more about the timeline potentially for this booster shot and what they found?

ANJALEE KHEMLANI: Well, Akiko, we did get a chance to talk to the global head of R&D Mathai Mammen, and really got some interesting outline of what they're looking at. Number one of course, the idea that the booster shot provides extra protection in a small cohort of US individuals, US based individuals. So really looking for that data. We just got the announcement. As it stands, they've submitted that data to the FDA and are waiting to hear back on whether or not they can move forward with filing for an emergency use authorization.

ADVERTISEMENT

In addition, we got an update on their kids trial, which was supposed to start this fall, but is being sort of delayed until, quote unquote, "later this year". Take a listen to the whole interview.

MATHAI MAMMEN: Yeah, we were extremely excited to put out quite a bit of data this morning. One set of data shows that the vaccine after a single shot, is really strong and really long lasting and with no evidence at all of fading or waning effectiveness. That's really exciting for us because our intent all along with that shot, since it's a single shot and easily administered, easily stored, was to try to secure the world as much as possible, against this pandemic.

But equally exciting is our booster data. We said a little while back that boosting at six months gives a really beautiful bump up in the immune titers and antibodies. And what we show today is that that's accompanied by really great efficacy. So after a booster shot, we see vaccine efficacy at 94%. And that's at two months, where there's a four-fold bump up in antibody titers. And we've already shown that at six months there's a 9 and 12-fold bump up in antibody titers. So if one can space the time between the two vaccinations this way and get boosted out at six months or later, it's a wonderful level of very efficacious protection and should be quite durable.

ANJALEE KHEMLANI: So this is really interesting because you're showing pretty consistent protection with just that single shot. Why then pursue a booster?

MATHAI MAMMEN: So our real world effectiveness study, which is the largest study of its kind that's been done to date, shows 390,000 Janssen vaccinated people against 1 and 1/2 million unvaccinated people. That shows about an 80% level of protection month on month on month on month, so it doesn't wane at all. But the second shot gets you to 94%. So if one is in a circumstance where there's plenty of vaccine supply or the circumstances permit it, a booster shot is a good idea to get to even higher levels of protection, especially among those that need that higher level of protection.

ANJALEE KHEMLANI: So as it stands right now, would you be moving forward with filing with the FDA for the booster?

MATHAI MAMMEN: We've provided all the data that we released today and more, to FDA. And so they're processing that now and they will let us know whether it's an adequate amount of data information for them to think about an emergency use authorization for a booster. Ultimately, that will be decided by FDA, and the population that such a booster would impact is decided by CDC.

ANJALEE KHEMLANI: I'm glad you brought that up because clearly, last week we saw that debate unfold and the idea that maybe the broader population isn't necessarily in need of a booster. Where do you stand on that, either based on what the data is telling you or just what you think in terms of global supply.

MATHAI MAMMEN: I think it's very circumstance specific. FDA, the advisory committee, I thought did a really good job, studying all aspects of the Pfizer vaccine. And they decided that the vaccine was best suited for people over 65 and those that were more susceptible to severe consequences of getting COVID-19. So we'll see. I think that there are different circumstances for different vaccines and different circumstances in different parts of the world.

ANJALEE KHEMLANI: What about the trial with kids? I know that that's a really big focus right now, as we're in the school year and really some concerns about an upcoming wave later this year. Where do you stand on the trial with kids?

MATHAI MAMMEN: Yeah, so the J&J vaccine, our trials with children and pediatric population, won't start till later this year.

ANJALEE KHEMLANI: Do you have a specific month or do you have any more clarity on when that will start?

MATHAI MAMMEN: Yeah, right now all I can really say is late this year. We have to agree protocols with the different regulators around the world. So we're not able to say exactly until there's such agreement.

ANJALEE KHEMLANI: One of the new things that's coming out, I don't know if you saw the news yesterday, that the US is looking at allowing international travel with required vaccines. Right now, as it stands, what would you say the current situation is for Johnson & Johnson specifically, with distribution of the vaccine globally and really just finding more arms to have shots in.

MATHAI MAMMEN: It's a great question. We are gearing up manufacturing in a major way in multiple manufacturing centers right now around the world, from Europe and Africa to the United States and Asia. So one's going to see as the weeks and months go on, that there's quite a volume of J&J vaccine. And then with the data today, it should really inspire regions to make good use of this vaccine, as it's so easy to use. It's one of the principal advantages. And today showing that it's strong and long lasting efficacy and that a second shot gets you to such high levels of protection, is really exciting.

ANJALEE KHEMLANI: I'm glad you brought that back up because I did want to circle back and talk about the underlying technology. There's been a lot of hype around mRNA and the technology there and its ability to quickly pivot to new strains. I wonder, what does this news really tell us in terms of the technology of viral vector vaccines?

MATHAI MAMMEN: Yeah, so a viral vector vaccine has a distinct advantage in that it is recognized by the body as an entity that it must mount a very strong and complex and multiple arms of an immune response to. So it's not just antibodies, but it's also different parts of the cellular immunity. So what that allows in a vaccine is this long lasting element. It allows it to be durable. It also allows it to act against different variants because it's a different component of the immune system. So for us, our Ad26 based vaccine has these distinct features. And we're seeing it play out right now in the durability.

ANJALEE KHEMLANI: So as you can hear, a lot about the durability of that vaccine, which is proving to be really interesting compared to the mRNA vaccines as we know, and really sets up for an interesting booster debate shortly. Back to you.

AKIKO FUJITA: OK, Anjalee Khemlani bringing us that conversation. Thanks so much for that.