U.S. pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson said Monday that it had filed for regulatory approval to manufacture and sell its COVID-19 vaccine in Japan. This is the fourth case of a vaccine maker applying for approval in Japan, and if the review process goes smoothly, the vaccine could be supplying doses to the country early next year, the company said.
The vaccine incorporates the genetic material of the novel coronavirus into a non-virulent cold virus. It can be stored refrigerated at 2 C to 8 C and requires only one injection. Johnson & Johnson has been conducting clinical trials in Japan since last September and is currently analyzing the data.
In the United States, emergency use of the vaccine was approved in late February this year, and vaccinations began. The vaccine was temporarily suspended due to a problem with blood clots occurring after vaccination in some rare cases. However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has now allowed the vaccinations to resume. Johnson & Johnson plans to seek approval through the normal review process, rather than through special approval that shortens the review period.
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