J&J's Single-Dose Covid-19 Vaccine Likely To Be Imported To India By June-July: DBT Secretary Renu Swarup

United States (US) based pharmaceutical major Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is working closely with Hyderabad based vaccine maker Biological E to facilitate the technology transfer for domestic manufacturing of its single-dose COVID-19 vaccine in India while it is expected that the vaccine's import into the country will begin by June-July, reports Livemint.

Sharing the development, secretary of the department of biotechnology Renu Swarup said that Biological E has an estimated capacity to produce as many as 600 million doses per annum.

The J&J vaccine (Ad26.COV2.S) leverages the adenovirus vector-based delivery system. It is said to be 67 per cent effective on average against moderate to severe/critical COVID-19 at least 14 days after administration, and 66 per cent effective at 28 days after vaccination.

Meanwhile, it should be noted that Swarup also said that Biological E is also working on its own vaccine candidate which has completed the trial stage.

Swarup further stated that the technology transfer for domestic manufacturing of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine is presently in process and that Indian production of the same will begin soon.