J&J announces collaboration to accelerate development of a potential coronavirus vaccine
Johnson & Johnson announced that its Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies will further expedite its investigational coronavirus vaccine program through an expanded collaboration with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), which is part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
The collaborative partnership with BARDA builds on Johnson & Johnson's multi-pronged response to the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. In addition to Janssen's efforts to develop a vaccine candidate, the company is working closely with global partners to screen its library of antiviral molecules to accelerate the discovery of potential COVID-19 treatments and provide relief for people in China and around the world.
Through this agreement, created under an existing U.S. Government's Other Transaction Authority, (HHSO100201700018C), Janssen and BARDA will both contribute to the research and development costs and mobilize resources to rapidly advance the initial stages of Janssen's COVID-19 vaccine development program. BARDA will provide funding to support accelerated development of a vaccine candidate into Phase 1 clinical studies, with options for additional funding to progress a promising candidate. In parallel, Janssen will work to upscale the production and manufacturing capacities required to meet public health needs. Janssen is committed to partnering with multiple stakeholders around the world to address the needs of communities around the world.
The vaccine program will leverage Janssen's AdVac and PER.C6 technologies that provide the ability to rapidly upscale production of the optimal vaccine candidate. These are the same technologies that were used in the development and manufacturing of Janssen's investigational Ebola vaccine, which is currently deployed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. They were also used to construct the Company's Zika, RSV and HIV vaccine candidates.
