J&J becomes fourth company with COVID vax in late-stage U.S. trials

Johnson & Johnson has launched a phase 3 trial of its coronavirus vaccine that will involve 60,000 participants.

The company says that it plans to report results from the trial by early next year. Although the J&J candidate is falling slightly behind some of the other lead vaccines, J&J is hoping that its vaccine will be effective with a single dose, which could make it a more attractive option for consumers.

The other three candidates currently in late-stage testing in the U.S. were developed by Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech and AstraZeneca/University of Oxford. 

J&J received a $480 million boost from the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Health and Human Services to develop and test its candidate, which is a viral vector shot. J&J will also test its vaccine outside of the U.S. in Brazil, South Africa and other countries.  

Read the full Wall Street Journal report.