Johnson & Johnson is the newest pharmaceutical company to pause the...

Kylie Quinn, research fellow and vaccine researcher at RMIT, said the news of the break was confirmation that the safety processes are working as they should.

“These vaccines are being tested very carefully for very good reasons. This is an example of the mechanisms that behave as they should, ”said Dr. Quinn.

Dr. Quinn said while the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is similar to the Oxford / AstraZeneca University product, Australians should keep in mind that there are no formal agreements to bring Johnson & Johnson’s product to Australia.

“At the moment there is nothing tangible, especially for the Australian market. It is not clear whether this vaccine would come onto this market. ”

US health news website Stat News The trial pause was first reported after reports reportedly sifting through a document stating that participants’ online registration had been stopped and the safety oversight panel should be convened for the study.

Loading

The vaccine candidate is being developed by the company’s pharmaceutical division, Janssen, and is currently in a global phase 3 study involving 60,000 adult participants. The vaccine uses the same technological approach as the company-approved Ebola vaccine.

Last month, the company’s chief scientist Paul Stoffels said it was hoped that the vaccine could be approved for emergency use early next year.

The product is not one of the vaccines for which Australia has formalized a supply contract, but the company’s local office has advised this legal notice that it is still in talks with a number of governments over supply and is ready to provide the vaccine as far as possible to introduce.

“We are currently in discussions with many stakeholders, including national governments and global organizations. We are committed to making our COVID-19 vaccine available worldwide, subject to successful development and regulatory approval, ”a spokeswoman said last month.

Loading

The Johnson & Johnson candidate had emerged as one of the front runners in vaccine in recent months after AstraZeneca and Oxford University experienced a similar trial break in September.

Australia is banking on the development of the AstraZeneca candidate after biotech giant CSL pledged to dose the product here if it is successful.

The AstraZeneca / Oxford study has since resumed in several locations, but researchers had to wait a long time for a restart in the US, with the US Food and Drug Administration allowing a more comprehensive review.

Both AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson have stressed over the past two months that vaccine trials come with risks and that breaks can be expected along the way.

“Because many studies are placebo-controlled, it is not always immediately obvious whether a participant received study treatment or a placebo,” Johnson & Johnson said in a statement today.

Johnson & Johnson shares closed Monday at $ 151.84, up 0.6 percent.
Shares are up 8.6 percent over the past six months.