J&J's Single-Shot COVID-19 Vaccine Becomes Fifth Jab To Get Approval For Emergency Use In India

United States-based pharmaceutical giant Johnson and Johnson (J&J) has received the emergency use approval for its Covid-19 vaccine in India, informed Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Saturday (6 August).

J&J's Covid-19 vaccine is the fifth jab to be approved for emergency-use in India.

Earlier, the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) had approved Serum Insitute of India's Covishield, Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, Russian Sputnik V vaccine and US-based Moderna's Covid jab.

"India expands its vaccine basket! Johnson and Johnson’s single-dose COVID-19 vaccine is given approval for Emergency Use in India. Now India has 5 EUA vaccines. This will further boost our nation's collective fight against COVID-19," Mandaviya said in a tweet.

In a statement issued on Friday (6 August), the US pharma major said that it had submitted its emergency use approval application to the Indian drug regulator on Thursday (5 August).

J&J has partnered with the Indian biotech firm Biological E for the production of its vaccine in India.

J&J's vaccine developed by Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson comprises one shot and reportedly found to have 85.4 per cent efficacy against severe disease and 93.1 per cent against hospitalisation.