US vaccine shows strong immune response to Covid in clinical trials

The Johnson and Johnson vaccine is the fourth in the United States to enter the final phase of clinical trials. Trump said a vaccine could be available for distribution before the presidential election on November 3. Many Democrats have accused Trump of trying to fast-track the vaccine approval process to get one delivered ahead of the November election.

Washington: The US pharmaceutical and medical device company Johnson and Johnson has developed a vaccine that in the early trials showed a strong immune response to the novel coronavirus with a single dose, an interim report published on the medical website medRxiv revealed.

"The safety profile and immunogenicity after only a single dose are supportive for further clinical development of [vaccine] Ad26.COV2.S at a dose level of 5x1010 vp, as a potentially protective vaccine against COVID-19," the report said on Friday. "A single dose of Ad26.COV2.S elicited strong humoral responses in the vast majority of vaccine recipients."

The Johnson and Johnson vaccine is the fourth in the United States to enter the final phase of clinical trials.

President Donald Trump has promised that 100 million doses of a vaccine will be distributed throughout the United States by the end of the year. Trump said a vaccine could be available for distribution before the presidential election on November 3.

Many Democrats have accused Trump of trying to fast-track the vaccine approval process to get one delivered ahead of the November election.

(With inputs from ANI)