Country for PR: United States
Contributor: PR Newswire New York
Friday, October 09 2020 - 00:43
AsiaNet
Johnson & Johnson Announces European Commission Approval of Agreement to Supply 200 Million Doses of Janssen's COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., Oct. 8, 2020 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --

-- Agreement provides option for European Union Member States to secure up to 
200 million additional doses for a total of up to 400 million doses

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) (the Company) today announced the European 
Commission (EC), acting on behalf of the European Union (EU) Member States, has 
approved an Advance Purchase Agreement in which the Janssen Pharmaceutical 
Companies will supply 200 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate to EU 
Member States following approval or authorization from regulators. The EU 
Member States also have the option to secure up to 200 million additional doses.

"The COVID-19 pandemic continues to threaten communities worldwide and we have 
a responsibility to ensure access to our COVID-19 vaccine as soon as we can. We 
appreciate the Commission's and the Member States' support for our COVID-19 
vaccine candidate and development efforts," said Paul Stoffels, M.D., Vice 
Chairman of the Executive Committee and Chief Scientific Officer, Johnson & 
Johnson. 

This contract follows the conclusion of exploratory talks with the EC ( 
https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2944135-1&h=3501919193&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jnj.com%2Four-company%2Fdiscussions-progress-between-johnson-johnson-and-the-european-commission-regarding-companys-investigational-covid-19-vaccine&a=exploratory+talks+with+the+EC 
). The Company is in ongoing discussions with other stakeholders, including 
national governments and global organizations, as part of its efforts to meet 
its commitment to make its vaccine candidate accessible globally, provided the 
vaccine has a good safety profile, is efficacious and receives approval or 
authorization from regulators.
 
Separate to the agreement with the EC, as part of the Company's larger 
commitment to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, Johnson & Johnson has also 
announced ( 
https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2944135-1&h=41111230&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jnj.com%2Flatest-news%2Fjohnson-johnson-signs-communique-on-expanded-global-access-for-covid-19-vaccines&a=announced 
) plans to allocate up to 500 million vaccine doses toward international 
efforts to ensure access for lower income countries, with delivery beginning 
mid next year following approval or authorization from regulators. Recognizing 
the unique global demand for COVID-19 vaccines, we are working tirelessly to 
further expand the number of available doses.

Johnson & Johnson is developing and testing Janssen's COVID-19 vaccine 
candidate in accordance with its usual rigorous ethical standards of safety and 
sound scientific principles. The Company is evaluating a single-dose regimen in 
its large-scale, pivotal, multi-country Phase 3 trial (ENSEMBLE) ( 
https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2944135-1&h=2569478470&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jnj.com%2Fjohnson-johnson-initiates-pivotal-global-phase-3-clinical-trial-of-janssens-covid-19-vaccine-candidate&a=large-scale%2C+pivotal%2C+multi-country+Phase+3+trial+(ENSEMBLE) 
) that started in September. A second Phase 3 study with a two-dose regimen is 
planned to start later this year. The Company is committed to transparency and 
sharing information related to the Phase 3 ENSEMBLE study – including the study 
protocol ( 
https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2944135-1&h=3784548130&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jnj.com%2Fcoronavirus%2Fcovid-19-phase-3-study-clinical-protocol&a=study+protocol 
).

Janssen's investigational COVID-19 vaccine leverages Janssen's AdVac(R) 
technology ( 
https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2944135-1&h=266619149&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.janssen.com%2Finfectious-diseases-and-vaccines%2Fvaccine-technology&a=AdVac%C2%AE+technology 
). The same technology was used to develop Janssen's EC-approved Ebola vaccine 
regimen and is the basis for its HIV, RSV and Zika vaccine candidates. To date, 
more than 100,000 individuals have been vaccinated with a Janssen 
AdVac(R)-based vaccine. Based on our understanding of the stability of our 
vaccines, we anticipate our COVID-19 vaccine candidate to be compatible with 
standard distribution channels without the need for new distribution 
infrastructure. 

For more information on Johnson & Johnson's multi-pronged approach to helping 
combat the pandemic, visit: www.jnj.com/coronavirus.

About Johnson & Johnson
At Johnson & Johnson, we believe good health is the foundation of vibrant 
lives, thriving communities and forward progress. That's why for more than 130 
years, we have aimed to keep people well at every age and every stage of life. 
Today, as the world's largest and most broadly-based healthcare company, we are 
committed to using our reach and size for good. We strive to improve access and 
affordability, create healthier communities, and put a healthy mind, body and 
environment within reach of everyone, everywhere. We are blending our heart, 
science and ingenuity to profoundly change the trajectory of health for 
humanity. Learn more at www.jnj.com. Follow us at @JNJNews ( 
https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2944135-1&h=1999237752&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.twitter.com%2Fjnjnews&a=%40JNJNews 
).

About the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies
At Janssen, we're creating a future where disease is a thing of the past. We're 
the Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, working tirelessly to make 
that future a reality for patients everywhere by fighting sickness with 
science, improving access with ingenuity, and healing hopelessness with heart. 
We focus on areas of medicine where we can make the biggest difference: 
Cardiovascular & Metabolism, Immunology, Infectious Diseases & Vaccines, 
Neuroscience, Oncology, and Pulmonary Hypertension. Learn more at 
www.janssen.com. Follow us at @JanssenGlobal ( 
https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2944135-1&h=4152939101&u=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FJanssenGlobal&a=%40JanssenGlobal 
).

Notice to Investors Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined in the 
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding development of 
potential preventive and treatment regimens for COVID-19. The reader is 
cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These statements are 
based on current expectations of future events. If underlying assumptions prove 
inaccurate or known or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual 
results could vary materially from the expectations and projections of Janssen 
Pharmaceuticals Inc., and/or Johnson & Johnson. Risks and uncertainties 
include, but are not limited to: challenges and uncertainties inherent in 
product research and development, including the uncertainty of clinical success 
and of obtaining regulatory approvals; uncertainty of commercial success; 
manufacturing difficulties and delays; competition, including technological 
advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges to 
patents; product efficacy or safety concerns resulting in product recalls or 
regulatory action; changes in behavior and spending patterns of purchasers of 
health care products and services; changes to applicable laws and regulations, 
including global health care reforms; and trends toward health care cost 
containment. A further list and descriptions of these risks, uncertainties and 
other factors can be found in Johnson & Johnson's Annual Report on Form 10-K 
for the fiscal year ended December 29, 2019, including in the sections 
captioned "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" and "Item 1A. 
Risk Factors," and in the company's most recently filed Quarterly Report on 
Form 10-Q, and the company's subsequent filings with the Securities and 
Exchange Commission. Copies of these filings are available online at 
www.sec.gov, www.jnj.com or on request from Johnson & Johnson. None of the 
Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies nor Johnson & Johnson undertakes to update any 
forward-looking statement as a result of new information or future events or 
developments.

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SOURCE Johnson & Johnson

CONTACT:  Jake Sargent, +1 202-569-5086, JSargen3@its.jnj.com; Seema Kumar, +1 
908-405-1144, SKumar10@its.jnj.com; Katie Buckley, +44 7900-655-261, 
KBuckle8@its.jnj.com; Investor Relations: Chris DelOrefice, +1 732-524-2955, 
Jennifer McIntyre, +1 732-524-3922
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