The Directorate General of Drug Administration on Tuesday approved the emergency use of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen Covid-19 vaccine as the country grapples to meet the rising demand for vaccine.
The drug administration cleared the emergency use of the single-dose vaccine following recommendation of an evaluation committee, a press release said.
Janssen, manufactured by Johnson & Johnson, is the sixth Covid-19 vaccine to be approved by Bangladesh.
The Line Director (MNC&H) of the Directorate General of Health Services is the local distributor of the vaccine, the statement said.
People aged 18 and above can receive the jab. It can be stored at a temperature of 2-8 degrees Celsius.
The World Health Organization, the US Food and Drug Administration, and the European Medicines Agency also approved Janssen for emergency use.
Earlier, the Bangladeshi drug authorities approved China’s Sinovac on June 3, Pfizer-BioNTech on May 27, China's Sinopharm on April 29, Russia's Sputnik V on April 27, and Covishield from neighbouring India on January 7.
Vaccination drive
Bangladesh recorded 3,319 coronavirus cases and 50 deaths on Tuesday, taking the total caseload to 8,33,291 and fatalities to 13,222.
The country launched its countrywide vaccination drive on February 7 with doses bought from Serum Institute of India Private Limited.
Since January 27, 58,20,015 people have been administered the first dose of Covishield manufactured by SII. Of them, 42,53,526 received the second shots until Monday, according to the health authorities.
A vaccine export halt by India forced Bangladesh to keep administering the first dose suspended since April 26.
So far, 2,162 people have received China’s Sinopharm jabs. Another 6,00,000 Sinopharm doses arrived from China as a gift on Sunday afternoon.
Bangladesh received over 1,00,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on May 31 under the Covax facility, run by the WHO and Gavi, the vaccine alliance.
Health Minister Zahid Maleque said on Monday that the health authorities will start administering Pfizer doses and resume Sinopharm inoculation from June 19.
