Johnson & Johnson in talks with India for clinical trial of single-shot vaccine

The US FDA has already approved Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 vaccine that works with just one dose

Global healthcare major Johnson & Johnson is in discussions with the Indian government to begin a clinical trial of its single-dose Covid-19 vaccine in the country, the company said on Friday.

The US Food and Drug Administration has already approved Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 vaccine that works with just one dose for emergency use in February.

"We are in discussions with the Government of India with the objective of starting a bridging clinical study of our Janssen Covid-19 vaccine candidate in India, subject to local regulatory approvals," Johnson & Johnson India spokesperson said in an email reply.

Johnson & Johnson's vaccine can be stored at refrigerator temperatures.

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"At Johnson & Johnson, we remain fully focused on bringing a safe and effective Covid-19 vaccine to people around the world, if authorised for use by local health authorities", the spokesperson said.

India is currently using two vaccines for Covid-19 -- one developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca and the other developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research - National Institute of Virology. Both the vaccines are being manufactured within the country by domestic firms.

India registered a record single-day spike of 1,31,968 new Covid-19 cases on Friday, pushing its infection tally to 1,30,60,542, while the death toll increased to 1,67,642 with 780 more fatalities in a day, the highest since October 18, the Union Health Ministry data showed.