Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine production lags goals as data readout nears: NYT

Amid slower than expected rollouts for the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S., Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine could serve as a key boost for the nationwide immunization push. But the pharma giant has fallen behind on its initial manufacturing goals, The New York Times reports, just as its first big data readout looms. Under J&J’s original $1 billion contract with Operation Warp Speed, the company was set to deliver 12 million vaccine doses by the end of February and 100 million by the end of June. Now, sources told the NYT, federal officials have been informed the company is behind its original manufacturing timeline. During a press briefing last week, Operation Warp Speed chief adviser Moncef Slaoui told reporters he thought the company would be able to deliver doses in the “single-digit” millions by the end of February, the NYT reports. J&J was “trying to make that number get as close to a double-digit number as possible, and then a larger number in March and a much larger number in April,” Slaoui added, as quoted by the newspaper.