Brazil Authorizes Janssen's COVID-19 Vaccine

Brazil's Collegiate Board of Anvisa announced its approval for temporary authorization for the Janssen COVID19 Vaccine's emergency use on March 31, 2021.

Brazil's federal health regulator Anvisa concluded, 'after analyzing the studies presented, that the vaccine protects against the severe form of the disease and is effective for preventing COVID-19 in adult patients.'

The Janssen vaccine is already authorized, on an emergency or provisional basis, in several countries, such as the United States (2/27/21) and Canada (3/5/2021), in addition to Europe (11/3/2021). In the same vein, the World Health Organization recently recommended the Janssen vaccine's emergency use in all countries.

"With the approval of this vaccine, Brazil ranks among the countries in the world that have the largest number of approved vaccine protocols. This demonstrates the Agency's commitment to promoting and protecting the health of the population. This protection and promotion mean evaluating with the necessary criteria and considering the exceptionality that the moment demands, the processes that are submitted to Anvisa," stated Romison Rodrigues, director of the Fourth Board, in a press release.

Developed by Janssen, the pharmaceutical arm of Johnson & Johnson, the single-shot experimental vaccine leverages Janssen's AdVac and PER.C6® technologies. 

Janssen’s AdVac® vectors are based on a specific type of adenovirus, which has been genetically modified so that it can no longer replicate in humans and cause disease. Adenoviruses are a group of viruses that can cause the common cold.