Johnson & Johnson only COVID-19 vaccine candidate to be studied with a single dose

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Johnson & Johnson is slated to begin a late-stage clinical trial with hopes of discovering a COVID-19 vaccine. 

While the pharmaceutical company lags behind Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna and AstraZeneca in terms of its Phase 3 trial, it may be worth the wait. These firms are testing two doses of their vaccine candidates. But Johnson and Johnson is confident it may require just one. 

Johnson and Johnson’s trial is slated to begin immediately, according to CNN. The firm is looking to recruit 60,000 participants at 215 trial sites around the world. Participants will only be injected with a single dose. The vaccine was developed in partnership with Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies–a branch of Johnson and Johnson. 

A single dose may not only expedite results but also save money. President Trump secured a $1.2 billon dollar deal with AstraZenca back in May to provide the U.S. 300,000,000 million doses of their vaccine. But when you do the math, this comes out to only half of the vaccines promised because it will require two doses. 

Simultaneously, Johnson and Johnson will also conduct a trial testing two doses of their vaccine to compare the effectiveness between the two.

News 8’s medical reporter, Dr. Mary Elizabeth Gillis, D.Ed., is a classically trained medical physiologist and biobehavioral research scientist. She has been a health, medical and science reporter for over 5 years. Her work has been featured in national media outlets. You can follow her on Instagram @reportergillis and Facebook @DrMaryGillis.