NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J.,
April 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/
-- Johnson & Johnson (the Company) (NYSE: JNJ) today
announced a collaboration between the Janssen Pharmaceutical
Companies of Johnson & Johnson and Emergent BioSolutions, Inc.
to support the manufacturing of its lead investigational COVID-19
vaccine candidate. This is the first in a series of prospective
global collaboration agreements designed to accelerate
manufacturing of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine
candidate, and further the Company's goal to supply more than one
billion doses of the vaccine globally.
Paul Stoffels, M.D., Vice
Chairman of the Executive Committee and Chief Scientific Officer,
Johnson & Johnson, said, "We have set a high bar. Johnson &
Johnson has committed to rapidly produce and supply more than one
billion doses of a safe and effective vaccine globally. Our
collaboration with Emergent is proof that we are moving quickly to
deliver on that promise."
Under the terms of this manufacturing agreement, Johnson &
Johnson is investing to expand drug substance capacity related to
the vaccine candidate. Emergent will provide drug substance
manufacturing services with its molecule-to-market CDMO offering,
beginning in 2020, and will also reserve operations
capacity to potentially support commercial manufacturing of
Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine candidate leveraging
Janssen's proven AdVac® and PER.C6® technologies
beginning in 2021.
The Company has already begun preparations for clinical vaccine
production at its facility in Leiden, the
Netherlands, with the aim of initiating Phase 1 human
clinical studies of its vaccine candidate in September
2020. Johnson & Johnson will begin production at risk and
is committed to bringing an affordable vaccine to the public on a
not-for-profit basis for emergency pandemic use.
Simultaneously, Johnson & Johnson is also aiming to rapidly
scale up vaccine manufacturing capabilities globally, including
increasing capacity in countries outside the U.S. The additional
global capacity will assist in the rapid production of a vaccine
and enable the supply of more than one billion doses of a safe and
effective vaccine to people around the world.
For more than 20 years, Johnson & Johnson has invested
billions of dollars in antivirals and vaccine capabilities. The
COVID-19 vaccine program leverages Janssen's proven
AdVac® and PER.C6® technologies that
provide the ability to rapidly develop new vaccine candidates and
upscale production of the optimal vaccine candidate. The same
technology was used to develop and manufacture the Company's
investigational Ebola vaccine and construct our RSV and HIV vaccine
candidates which are in Phase 2 or Phase 3 clinical development
stages.
COVID-19 belongs to a group of viruses called coronaviruses that
attack the respiratory system. There is currently no approved
vaccine, treatment or cure for COVID-19.
For more information on Johnson & Johnson's multi-pronged
approach to combatting the pandemic, visit:
www.jnj.com/coronavirus.
About Johnson & Johnson
At Johnson & Johnson,
we believe good health is the foundation of vibrant lives, thriving
communities and forward progress. That's why for more than 130
years, we have aimed to keep people well at every age and every
stage of life. Today, as the world's largest and most broadly-based
healthcare company, we are committed to using our reach and size
for good. We strive to improve access and affordability, create
healthier communities, and put a healthy mind, body and environment
within reach of everyone, everywhere. We are blending our heart,
science and ingenuity to profoundly change the trajectory of health
for humanity. Learn more at www.jnj.com. Follow us at @JNJNews.
About the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies
At Janssen,
we're creating a future where disease is a thing of the past. We're
the Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, working
tirelessly to make that future a reality for patients everywhere by
fighting sickness with science, improving access with ingenuity,
and healing hopelessness with heart. We focus on areas of medicine
where we can make the biggest difference: Cardiovascular &
Metabolism, Immunology, Infectious Diseases & Vaccines,
Neuroscience, Oncology, and Pulmonary Hypertension. Learn more at
www.janssen.com. Follow us at @JanssenGlobal.
Notice to Investors Concerning Forward-Looking
Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as
defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
regarding development of potential preventive and treatment
regimens for COVID-19. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these
forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current
expectations of future events. If underlying assumptions prove
inaccurate or known or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize,
actual results could vary materially from the expectations and
projections of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies and/or Johnson
& Johnson. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited
to: challenges and uncertainties inherent in product research and
development, including the uncertainty of clinical success and of
obtaining regulatory approvals; uncertainty of commercial success;
manufacturing difficulties and delays; competition, including
technological advances, new products and patents attained by
competitors; challenges to patents; product efficacy or safety
concerns resulting in product recalls or regulatory action; changes
in behavior and spending patterns of purchasers of health care
products and services; changes to applicable laws and regulations,
including global health care reforms; and trends toward health care
cost containment. A further list and descriptions of these risks,
uncertainties and other factors can be found in Johnson &
Johnson's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
December 29, 2019, including in the
sections captioned "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking
Statements" and "Item 1A. Risk Factors," and in the company's most
recently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and the company's
subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Copies of these filings are available online at www.sec.gov,
www.jnj.com or on request from Johnson & Johnson. None of the
Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies nor Johnson & Johnson
undertakes to update any forward-looking statement as a result of
new information or future events or developments.
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SOURCE Johnson & Johnson