Ottawa, December 2: Janssen Inc, a pharmaceutical subsidiary of US MNC Johnson & Johnson has submitted a COVID-19 vaccine candidate with the Heath Canada for approval  reported CBC.  Patty Hajdu, the Health Minister of Canada called as "a promising development for Canadians." On August 31, this year the country had announced a deal  to secure up to 38 Million doses of Janssen's COVID-19 vaccine.  Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 Vaccine Approved by UK for Rollout, to be Made Available Across The Country From Next Week.

It's vaccine is a non-replicating viral vector vaccine and is based on viral material that has been genetically engineered so it can't replicate and cause disease. The vaccine has been claimed to only one dose to provide immunity instead of two. "Janssen is committed to bringing an affordable COVID-19 vaccine to the public on a not-for-profit basis for emergency pandemic use," the company said in a statement. COVID-19 Vaccine Update: SpiceXpress to Extend Logistical Support in Coronavirus Vaccine Distribution.

Health Canada is  currently reviewing three other vaccine candidates as part of its "rolling review process" where in the companies submit data from clinical trials even as those trials are still underway to the regulator to evaluate.  These include vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna Inc and Oxford-AstraZeneca. Once the regulator has approve the vaccine it will be administered to the people.

"Canadians can be sure that whatever Canada approves, in terms of vaccines, will only be done when it's entirely safe to do so," Health Minister Hajdu told reporters on Tuesday. At a technical briefing with reporters last week, Health Canada's chief medical adviser said Health Canada is on track to make a decision on timelines similar to those of the U.S. and European regulators.

 

 

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 02, 2020 04:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).