Britain approves J&J COVID-19 vaccine, but reduces purchase

Britain approves J&J COVID-19 vaccine, cuts order Britain's medicine regulator on Friday approved Johnson & Johnson's (JNJ.N) Janssen COVID-19 vaccine for use, with the government adding it had cut its order for the vaccine by 10 million doses. Alistair Smout Reuters

Britain's medicine regulator on Friday approved Johnson & Johnson's (JNJ.N) Janssen COVID-19 vaccine for use, with the government adding it had cut its order for the vaccine by 10 million doses.

The shot is the fourth COVID-19 vaccine approved in Britain, and the government said it would be available for use later in 2021 without specifying when.

Britain reduced its order to 20 million doses from 30 million as the country's vaccine rollout progresses, while the company has also warned of uncertainty over its supplies to Europe. read more

Britain has given two-thirds of its adult population a first COVID-19 shot, and the government cited the "unprecedented scale and pace" of the rollout as behind the decision to cut its order.

Britain has also approved vaccines made by Pfizer (PFE.N), AstraZeneca (AZN.L) and Moderna (MRNA.O).

"As Janssen is a single-dose vaccine, it will play an important role in the months to come as we redouble our efforts to encourage everyone to get their jabs and potentially begin a booster programme later this year," health minister Matt Hancock said.

The vaccine is part of a British study looking at whether giving third-dose booster COVID-19 shots could extend immune protection. read more  

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