Johnson & Johnson today announced that it is mobilizing resources at its Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies to launch a multi-pronged response to the novel coronavirus (also known as 2019-nCoV or Wuhan coronavirus) outbreak.
This article originally appeared on Johnson & Johnson's website
As part of this work, the Company has initiated efforts to develop a vaccine candidate against 2019-nCoV and broadly collaborate with others to screen a library of antiviral therapies. Identifying compounds with antiviral activity against 2019-nCoV may contribute to providing immediate relief to the current outbreak.
“J&J has a long-standing commitment to fight established and emerging epidemics and is supporting global efforts where we can make the greatest impact. We are collaborating with regulators, healthcare organizations, institutions and communities worldwide to help ensure our research platforms, existing science and outbreak expertise can be maximized to stem this public health threat,” said Paul Stoffels, M.D., Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee and Chief Scientific Officer, Johnson & Johnson. “This latest outbreak of a novel pathogen once again reinforces the importance of investing in preparedness, surveillance and response to ensure the world remains ahead of potential pandemic threats.”
The vaccine program will leverage Janssen’s AdVac® and PER.C6® technologies that provide the ability to rapidly upscale production of the optimal vaccine candidate. These are the same technologies that were used in the development and manufacturing of Janssen’s investigational Ebola vaccine, which is currently deployed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. They were also used to construct the Company’s Zika, RSV and HIV vaccine candidates. Click here to continue>>
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