Johnson & Johnson seeks nod for trial of single-dose vaccine on adolescents in India

US pharma giant Johnson & Johnson has submitted an application to India's Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) seeking permission to conduct clinical trials of its single shot Janssen vaccine against Covid-19 on adolescents aged 12-17 years, the company said on Friday.

"Johnson & Johnson is committed to facilitating global equitable access to its COVID-19 vaccine and recognize the unmet needs of children. On August 17, 2021, we submitted an application to the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) to conduct a study of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine in India in adolescents aged 12 – 17 years," Johnson & Johnson India spokesperson told Mirror Now.

"To ultimately achieve herd immunity, it is imperative that COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials continue to move forward in this population, and we remain deeply committed to the critical work needed to make our COVID-19 vaccine equitably accessible for all age groups,” the spokesperson added.


J&J's one-shot vaccine has been found to have efficacy of 85.4% against severe disease and 93.1% against hospitalisation.

The single shot vaccine of J&J is the second COVID-19 vaccine which has been granted Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) through the fast-track approval route by the Drug Controller General of India.

Moderna was the first foreign-made vaccine to be approved in the country for use, but the launch got stuck over indemnity issues.