In a briefing document, the US Food and Drug Administration says the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson meets the requirements to receive an Emergency Use Authorization, according to CNN.
J&J announced clinical trial results in January that said its vaccine had a 66 percent efficacy rate in preventing moderate-to-severe COVID-19. The company then said it would be seeking an EUA from the FDA.
A committee is to meet Friday to recommend whether or not the agency should authorize the vaccine, CNN notes. This means the FDA could make a decision as early as the weeking, the Washington Post says, noting that the agency previously, for the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, FDA quickly greenlit the vaccines following the committee's recommendation.
The Post adds that public health officials have been awaiting the J&J vaccine, as it is a one-dose regimen and can be stored for months in a refrigerator. It further adds that though the vaccine had a lower efficacy rate in South Africa where a viral variant has taken hold, it still had high efficacy in preventing severe disease there.