J&J Covid-19 vaccine data is expected ‘soon’ as the drug maker improves the outlook

Johnson & Johnson CEO Alex Gorsky announced on Tuesday that details of his phase 3 coronavirus study will be released “ soon ” – while also raising the company’s profit targets for the coming year.

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JNJ JOHNSON & JOHNSON 170.96 +5.09 + 3.07%

The pharmaceutical giant has developed and tested Janssen’s experimental COVID-19 vaccine candidate, which is in phase 3 of its clinical trials, in an effort to eradicate the pandemic that has already infected more than 99 million people worldwide.

“We will continue to develop our COVID-19 vaccine candidate and look forward to sharing details of our Phase 3 trial soon,” Gorsky said in the company’s fourth quarter and full year earnings report.

While Gorsky stopped disclosing exactly when the results will be released, he expressed extreme confidence in J & J’s ability to “deliver lasting value and continuous innovation in 2021 and years to come.”

Alex Gorsky, CEO of Johnson & Johnson (illustration by Ulrich Baumgarten via Getty Images)

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During the fourth quarter, the world’s largest health product manufacturer reported revenues of $ 1.74 billion and sales of $ 22.48 billion, exceeding Wall Street’s expectations. Four analysts polled by Zacks expected $ 21.62 billion.

The company had a profit of 65 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and expenses, were $ 1.86 per share, which also exceeded Street forecasts. The average estimate of seven analysts polled by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $ 1.81 per share.

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In September, Johnson & Johnson became the fourth company to enter the final stages of testing its coronavirus candidate in the United States after Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca.

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The company has already signed an agreement with the US government – worth more than $ 1 billion – to develop and deliver 100 million doses of its potential vaccine.

The company aims to deliver more than a billion doses worldwide by 2021, as long as the vaccine is safe and effective.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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