Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 Vaccine Enters Final Stretch of Clinical Trials

American pharmaceutical giant, Johnson & Johnson is beginning the last stage of clinical trials on its innovative one-shot vaccine for COVID-19. Encompassing 60,000 subjects, the Phase 3 trial began on September 21 and will test the effectiveness of the vaccine against a placebo. Public health officials are enthusiastic about this option as it only requires one shot to achieve immunity and does not require subzero storage. Vaccine candidates from Moderna and Pfizer require at least two immunizations and must be kept frozen, which may pose distribution issues. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is based on the carrying of a gene from the novel coronavirus—via an adenovirus—into human cells. This creates coronavirus proteins, which should elicit an immune response. Click here to read more.