J&J to Supply the Government of Canada with Doses of its COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate

Janssen Inc., one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, announced on Aug. 31, 2020 that it will supply the Government of Canada with 38 million doses of its SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate, Ad26.COV2.S.

According to a company press release, negotiations for a final advance purchase agreement in which the Government of Canada purchases the vaccine candidate on a not-for-profit basis for emergency pandemic use are underway.

The vaccine candidate is currently involved in a Phase I/IIa first-in-human clinical trial for healthy volunteers in the United States and Belgium, the press release said. A Phase III trial will also be executed based on interim data from the Phase I/IIa trials and the approval of regulators.

“We are deeply committed to providing global access to our SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate. As we proceed with development of our vaccine, we are simultaneously working with partners around the world, including the Government of Canada, to ensure our vaccine is made available to citizens globally, if proven to be safe and effective,” said Paul Stoffels, MD, vice-chairman of the Executive Committee and chief scientific officer, Johnson & Johnson, in the press release.

Source: Johnson & Johnson