JANSSEN SINGLE-DOSE COVID VACCINE APPROVED FOR USE IN NEW ZEALAND

Wed 07 July 2021:

The single-dose Janssen Covid vaccine has been approved for those aged 18 and older in New Zealand.

“New Zealand’s regulatory authority Medsafe has granted provisional approval of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine for individuals 18 years of age and older,” the press release read.

The country secured 2 million doses through an advance purchase agreement last year, the government added.

“Provisional approval is the first step in the process.

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins announced today that Medsafe had granted provisional approval.

He described the Janssen vaccine as a “very safe and very effective” vaccine, but the plan remained to “ramp up and roll out” the Pfizer vaccine.

“It just provides us with flexibility.”

Hipkins said the Government had yet to decide when the new vaccine would be made available to New Zealanders.

Hipkins said the Astrazeneca vaccine was another option that was part of the portfolio New Zealand was paying for and many of those would be donated to other countries, particularly in the Pacific.

“Our expectation is our DHBs will be rolling out the vaccine as part of a nationally consistent plan,” Hipkins said.

Cabinet will weigh up the options on the best use of the Janssen vaccine following advice from officials. A Cabinet ‘decision to use’ can be expected sometime in August,” COVID-19 Response Minister Hipkins said.

The vaccine developed by the Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals became the second one greenlighted in New Zealand for mass use. In February, the island nation approved the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

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