Johnson & Johnson Announces Positive Preclinical Results for Ad26.COV2.S COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate Ahead of Phase 3 Trial Launch

Source | Jike Pharma News

Today, Johnson & Johnson announced that its candidate COVID-19 vaccine, Ad26.COV2.S, has achieved new positive results in preclinical studies. Data published today in Nature Medicine indicate that this adenovirus serotype 26 (Ad26) vector-based COVID-19 vaccine, named Ad26.COV2.S, induced the production of neutralizing antibodies in Syrian golden hamsters and prevented severe clinical symptoms of COVID-19, including weight loss, pneumonia, and death.

In July, Johnson & Johnson published findings in Nature demonstrating that the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine elicited immune responses in preclinical studies involving non-human primates (NHPs). The study in Nature showed that a single dose of Ad26.COV2.S not only induced potent neutralizing antibody and cellular immune responses in non-human primate models, but also provided complete or nearly complete protection in subsequent challenge experiments conducted in these animals.

Following the recently published study in Nature, Johnson & Johnson continued to test the candidate vaccine in golden hamsters, as these animals typically exhibit more severe symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection than non-human primates (NHPs). In this preclinical study, researchers administered a single injection of the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine to golden hamsters, which induced neutralizing antibodies in all vaccinated animals. Four weeks later, the animals were exposed to a high dose of SARS-CoV-2. Compared with unvaccinated control animals, the vaccinated animals experienced less weight loss and showed reduced viral loads in the lungs and other organs. No deaths occurred among the vaccinated animals. Furthermore, researchers found that the neutralizing antibody response was negatively correlated with weight loss and viral replication in the lungs.

Johnson & Johnson plans to begin Phase 3 trials this month and will continue to expand its vaccine manufacturing capacity to ensure global supply once the vaccine’s efficacy is confirmed.

References:

[1] Johnson & Johnson Announces that Janssen’s COVID-19 Investigational Vaccine Candidate Prevents Severe Clinical Disease in Pre-clinical Studies. Retrieved 2020-09-04, from https://www.jnj.com/johnson-johnson-announces-that-janssens-covid-19-investigational-vaccine-candidate-prevents-severe-clinical-disease-in-pre-clinical-studies

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