Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Could Be Approved By Saturday

Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine could get Food and Drug Administration approval as soon as Saturday, with federal regulators holding an all-day Friday meeting.

This follows news earlier this week that the FDA had endorsed Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use. The committee's vote on approving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine could come as soon as early Friday evening.

"Composed of independent infectious disease experts, statisticians and epidemiologists, the panel is hearing presentations from top scientists at Janssen Pharmaceuticals, the drug development arm of Johnson & Johnson. Committee members will then discuss the technical components of the vaccine with them and regulators at the FDA," the New York Times wrote.

Pfizer and Moderna have already received FDA approval for their vaccines, so Johnson & Johnson would be a third.

"The meeting participants are equipped with analyses published online this week by the FDA and the company that detail how the vaccine works — its success in preventing moderate and severe cases of COVID-19, hospitalizations and death, as well as the side effects it causes and how its efficacy varied in different regions of the world and among different groups of people," the Times reported.