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ByCaitlyn Stulpin

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July 02, 2021
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J&J vaccine protects against delta variant for at least 8 months, studies find

ByCaitlyn Stulpin

Data from two preprint studies showed that Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose COVID-19 vaccine generates “strong, persistent activity” against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, including the rapidly spreading delta variant, the company reported.

Perspective from Amesh A. Adalja, MD

The findings were reported in a press release and the studies were submitted to the preprint server bioRxiv.

Source: Adobe Stock.
The Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine generates “strong, persistent activity” against the rapidly spreading delta variant, the company said. Source: Adobe Stock.

“Today’s newly announced studies reinforce the ability of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to help protect the health of people globally,” Johnson & Johnson Chief Scientific Officer Paul Stoffels, MD, said in the release. “We believe that our vaccine offers durable protection against COVID-19 and elicits neutralizing activity against the delta variant. This adds to the robust body of clinical data supporting our single-shot vaccine’s ability to protect against multiple variants of concern.”

Data demonstrating the efficacy of the vaccine against variants came from a preprint study that assessed blood samples obtained from a subset of eight participants in the phase 3 ENSEMBLE study, which showed that the shot elicited neutralizing antibody activity against the delta variant “at an even higher level than what was recently observed for the beta variant (B.1.351) in South Africa,” Johnson & Johnson said. According to the trial, the vaccine was 85% effective against severe disease and protected against hospitalization and death.

A second preprint study showed that the vaccine generated “a strong neutralizing antibody response that does not wane” but actually improved over time through at least 8 months, Mathai Mammen, MD, PhD, global head of research and development at Janssen, the Johnson & Johnson subsidiary that developed the vaccine, said in the release.

“With each new dataset, we build on our solid foundation of evidence that our single-shot COVID-19 vaccine plays a critical role in ending the pandemic, which continues to evolve and pose new challenges to global health,” Mammen said.

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Amesh A. Adalja, MD
Amesh A. Adalja, MD
Amesh A. Adalja, MD
Many of us were waiting to see data on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine efficacy, especially against variants. I was one who anticipated that we would get good news with this vaccine, and it appears to be the case. This should hopefully cause a dampening in the idea that people who were vaccinated with this highly efficacious vaccine somehow need a booster with another version of the vaccine. Obviously, real-world clinical data will help us to fully understand the protection that this vaccine confers. As of now, I do not think that people should be suggesting that boosters are needed and individuals who received this vaccines because there are no data to suggest that is needed.
Amesh A. Adalja, MD
Senior scholar
Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
Disclosures: Adalja reports no relevant financial disclosures.
Sources/Disclosures

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Source:

Press Release

Disclosures: Mammen and Stoffels are employees of Johnson & Johnson.

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