RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Ministry of Health is still waiting for the position of the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA) on the possibility of extending the vaccine’s validity.
Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga on Monday, June 14, said that 3 million Janssen vaccine doses should reach Brazil on Wednesday, June 16. The Minister made the announcement in Brasilia after a meeting at the Planalto Palace with President Jair Bolsonaro.
In a statement, the Ministry of Health said the delivery would not occur on Tuesday, June 15, as previously announced. “The portfolio is waiting for the laboratory to confirm, but the doses are expected to land in the country this week, in three shipments,” the Ministry said.
The pharmaceutical company says it is still negotiating with the federal government. “We are still in discussions with the Ministry of Health and other local authorities to supply the vaccine to Brazil as soon as possible. We will share new information as soon as there are updates,” it stated.
Authorized shipment and validity
The shipment hinged on authorization from the FDA, the U.S. drug regulator. The permission was granted on Saturday, June 12. On Thursday, June 10, Johnson & Johnson, responsible for Janssen, announced that the FDA had increased the validity of Janssen’s Covid-19 vaccine from three months to four and a half months.
According to the Ministry of Health, the vaccines will be distributed to capital cities and are initially valid until June 27, but ANVISA is considering an extension of the validity period, in line with the FDA, through August 8.
As this is a single dose vaccine, one administration of the Janssen vaccine is equivalent to two doses of other immunizers in use in Brazil (Pfizer, CoronaVac and AstraZeneca).