New Delhi, 20th April 2021: Drug manufacturer Johnson & Johnson has sought permission from the Indian drug regulator for a third phase trial of its anti-Coronavirus infection vaccine as well as an import license. The company’s vaccine is only a single dose.

Sources said that the company has requested to convene a meeting of the expert committee on Covid-19 of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) for a decision on its application. Johnson & Johnson’s application comes at a time when the central government has decided to approve emergency use for all foreign vaccines that receive similar approval from the World Health Organization or from regulators in the US, Europe, UK or Japan.

According to sources, on April 12, the company applied to the Global Clinical Trial Division through the ‘Sugam Online Portal’. A source in this regard said that Johnson & Johnson applied again on Monday due to some complications.

Johnson & Johnson vaccines can be stored in temperatures ranging from 2 to 8° C for up to 3 months. The vaccine manufactured by the company is only one dose whereas the three vaccines that have been approved so far in the country are of two doses.