Johnson & Johnson at the forefront in the fight against Covid
Pharma giant plans to supply more than 100 million doses of its future vaccine.

The U.S. government has signed an agreement with Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) that the drug company will deliver 100 million doses of its experimental coronavirus vaccine. The pharmaceutical company received $ 1 billion for this. The company's vaccine is still in the testing phase and early in human testing. Johnson & Johnson says it expects to begin late-stage human trials in September. Under the agreement, the US has an option to purchase an additional 200 million cans. "We are expanding production in the US and around the world to supply a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine for emergency use," said Dr. Paul Stoffels, Chief Science Officer at Johnson & Johnson, in a statement. Around the world, the hunt for a COVID-19 vaccine has become a major priority for health industry players as well as governments. To date, there are several novel COVID-19 vaccines that are in various phases of clinical trials. Companies around the world are working with governments to step up efforts in the hunt for the vaccine. The US government has funded a number of pharmaceutical companies that have vaccines that are in various stages of clinical trials. In return for the financing, the companies should provide access to the drug if successful. Recently, biotech company Moderna announced positive results from a small, preliminary study of its coronavirus vaccine. Following the announcement, the company's share price rose 30%. Following the raise, the company issued a share offering aimed at raising $ 1 billion to fund development of the vaccine. The shift in Moderna's share price is the latest sign of how the pandemic and desperate hunt for a vaccine are affecting financial markets. Other companies that have entered into an agreement with the US government to provide early access to their novel vaccines include AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and BioNTech. Other agreements the US government has signed include a $ 2.1 billion agreement with French company Sanofi and UK company GlaxoSmithKline to supply 100 million doses of the novel COVID-19 vaccines.





