J&J vaccine licensing deal

US drug maker Johnson & Johnson is close to a vaccine licensing deal with South African group Aspen Pharmacare a senior J&J executive told a conference in Nigeria on Wednesday. "We are at the advanced stages of a potential licensing agreement with Aspen and we are really hopeful it will be finalised," said Stacy Meyer, J&J's Vice President Global Public Health, Operations and Partnerships. She gave no further details. In November, Aspen signed non-binding terms with subsidiaries of J&J, saying this was a step towards a licensing deal for Aspen to package and sell J&J's's Covid-19 vaccine in Africa. The non-binding agreements were hailed by the World Health Organisation as a "transformative moment" in the drive towards greater vaccine equity.