Single-dose treatment edges closer as J&J wins US backing

A SINGLE-shot vaccine to combat Covid-19 in Britain could be just weeks away with regulators set to begin the approvals process this week.

Ministers are expecting the Johnson & Johnson jab – which could be days away from approval in the US – to start formal regulatory approval in the coming days here. The UK has ordered 30million doses, the US 100million and Canada 38 million.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which must carry out the checks for the UK, did not respond to a request for a comment.

The development came as reports emerged that just one shot of the Pfizer or Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine reduced the risk of being admitted to hospital by more than 90 per cent.

Public health officials have briefed ministers on the new results, according

to a report in The Mail on Sunday.

Health sources have said that the Johnson & Johnson jab is not yet being considered by the MHRA for formal approval, a process which took about two weeks for the current vaccines. However, a senior government source said the MHRA formal process was “very likely” to start this week.

The Department of Health and Social Care declined to comment. A department source added: “We are working with them to complete the rolling review process and we look forward to receiving more data from them as soon as possible.”

A US panel on Friday recommended the one-dose Covid-19 shot – developed by Johnson & Johnson’s vaccines division Janssen – for emergency approval.

The United States’ emergency use authorisation – which is now expected shortly – of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine would follow those for the Pfizer and Moderna doses.