Covid: Johnson & Johnson in talks to trial single-dose vaccine in India

Bengaluru - The US drugs and healthcare giant’s vaccine is currently approved for use in the United States, the European Union and other nations including Thailand and South Africa.

Johnson & Johnson is in talks with India’s government to begin a clinical trial of its single-dose Covid-19 vaccine in the country, the company said on Friday.

The US drugs and healthcare giant’s vaccine is currently approved for use in the United States, the European Union and other nations including Thailand and South Africa.

The news comes as some parts of India face a shortage of vaccine supplies just as the country of 1.3 billion battles a second wave of Covid-19 infections. India’s government, however, has said there is no shortage of shots.

The Indian Express newspaper reported earlier on Friday that J&J had sent a letter to India's Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) saying it would "very shortly apply for permission to conduct clinical bridging trials in India".

The CDSCO did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment.

“We are in discussions with the (government) with the objective of starting a bridging clinical study of our Janssen COVID-19 vaccine candidate in India, subject to local regulatory approvals,” a local J&J representative said via email.