US looking at Johnson & Johnson vaccine production in India, in talks with Serum Institute

To counter India's vaccine short, Biden ministration said that it was looking at joint production of Johnson and Johnson’s Covid vaccine in India on Tuesday. dressing a briefing, Daniel B Smith, Charge d’Affaires of US Embassy, said that re were some 'private-sector production talks' but was unsure as to when se plans will fructify. Moreover, he also said that he was unsure of timeline as to when US will release its 60 million Astra Zeneca (Covishield) doses to India, as FDA was yet to clear it.

US looking to produce J&J vaccine in India

"Our development finance cooperation is looking at how we can invest so that we can help produce Johnson and Johnson's vaccine here in India. And I kw that re are some private-sector production talks that are underway from pharmaceutical companies to pharmaceutical companies," he said. He ded, "We are determined to do all we can as a government to encour licensing and encour more production and if re is a need for capital, we will look at what we can provide and wher we can provide assistance".

Talking about releasing US' stockpile of Covishield doses, he said that while doses were stockpiled y were yet to receive Food and Drug ministration (FDA)'s d. He also said that as doses were manufactured in a local plant outside Baltimore which h certain issues, vaccines are t available for anyone's use; for export or t. Last month, White House said that US plans to share 60 million doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine globally as soon as y become available and India expected a significant chunk of total stockpile.

"I kw that re are a number of doses of AstraZeneca vaccine (with US). y were manufactured in US. y were manufactured at a plant outside of Baltimore but re were problems with this plant. So far Food and Drug ministration of US has t certified that se vaccines are available for anyone's use; for export or t," he said. US 

About J&J's vaccine

single-shot vaccine was approved by FDA under an Emergency Use Authorization for vaccinating those 18 years of and older in February 2021 - after Pfizer & Moderna's vaccine. vaccine (26.CoV2.S) is ministered as one dose (0.5 ml) and will become efficacious about 28 days after iculation. vaccine has an 85.4% efficacy against severe disease and hospitalisation, 66.9% against symptomatic moderate and severe infection. vaccine doses were briefly stopped from being in US, EU after six cases reported of blood clots following ministration of J&J vaccine, which was later categorised as “very rare” side effects.

(With PTI inputs)