Johnson & Johnson is working to develop modified versions of its COVID-19 vaccine that may be needed to provide protection against virus variants, a report said.
“We are working on several next generations of vaccines,” Alex Gorsky, CEO of J&J, said Thursday during an online discussion, The Wall Street Journal said.
Gorsky expressed optimism that his current vaccine could provide some protection against new COVID-19 strains.
But, he said, “We must be prepared,” the newspaper reported. “We have to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.”
The single-dose vaccine from Johnson & Johnson was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in late February.
The FDA confirmed J & J’s finding that the vaccine was a total of 66 percent effective at warding off moderate and severe COVID-19 cases and 85 percent effective at preventing the most serious infections.