Changer | | Inside the Baltimore Laboratory that produces Johnson & Johnson vaccines, AstraZeneca COVID-19 – CBS Baltimore

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BALTIMORE (WJZ) – At a unique facility in southeast Baltimore, Emergent BioSolutions employees worked hard inside the large area of ​​the bioreactor where coronavirus vaccines (including the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine) will be produced for use in the United States. Units.

“We actually grow cell cultures, infect them with viral vectors, and finally purify viral vectors, which causes the immune response in humans,” said Sean Kirk, emerging vice president of BioSolutions, head of the manufacturing.

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The company granted WJZ rare access to its secure Bayview campus. Three hundred employees work there and dozens more support the installation remotely.

“I want the people of Baltimore to be proud that Emergent is here, to be proud of the fact that so many residents work at this facility,” Kirk said. “Every day, our people work long hours to overcome this pandemic, and what keeps them motivated is the fact that we will produce hundreds of millions of doses over the next year.”

Emergent has a $ 480 million contract with Johnson & Johnson and another $ 174 million with AstraZeneca.

The federal government has yet to approve the vaccines for use nationwide.

In late January, Johnson & Johnson released the results of its phase three trial and said it plans to apply for emergency use authorization to the Food and Drug Administration.

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These results demonstrated 85% protection against severe coronavirus disease in adults of all ages and racial groups 28 days after vaccination. The overall efficacy rate for preventing moderate to severe disease was 72% in the US and 66% in all countries studied. The vaccine was 57% effective in preventing moderate to severe disease in South Africa, where a more contagious strain has spread rapidly through the population.

Maryland is the second state where the South African strain has been detected. There are at least three cases in Maryland: two in Montgomery County and one in the Baltimore area. The positive patient in the Baltimore area case was not infected during the trips, state health officials said.

The emergence of new strains makes vaccines urgent.

People in Maryland and across the country are frustrated by the shortage of vaccines.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has some advantages. It only requires a single shot and there are no special freezers.

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“The game with a dose was worth it,” Dr. Mathai Mammen, head of global research at J&J’s Janssen Pharmaceutical Unit, told The Associated Press.

“You can get a shot at J&J and 10, 14 days later, you already have considerable protection,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. adviser to President Joe Biden.

All COVID-19 vaccines train the body to recognize the new coronavirus, usually by detecting the spiked protein that coats it. But they are made in very different ways.

Johnson & Johnson’s shot uses a cold virus like a Trojan horse to transport the ear gene to the body, where cells make harmless copies of the protein to prepare the immune system in case the real virus appears. .

Johnson & Johnson said their vaccine works consistently across a wide range of people: one-third of participants were over 60 and more than 40% had other diseases that put them at risk for severe COVID-19, including obesity, diabetes and HIV. The company insists the vaccine is safe, with similar reactions to other traits of COVID-19, such as fever that occurs when the immune system increases.

Maryland Vaccination Guide

Dr. David Marcozzi of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, an adviser to Governor Larry Hogan, called the Johnson & Johnson vaccine a “game changer.”

Emerging Biosolutions told WJZ that it is ready for the federal government to give the green light to the urgent use of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine by the public. An advisory committee of the Food and Drug Administration will meet on February 26 to discuss the vaccine candidate.

It usually takes the FDA several weeks to review the results of clinical trials.

Once approval arrives, “nothing changes,” he told Hellgren. They are already producing the vaccine.

“We are open to manufacturing,” he said. “We have a significant opportunity to save tens of thousands (hundreds of thousands) of lives over the coming months.”

Back at the Emergent Bayview facilities, the sterile bags lining the tanks can be easily changed, so there’s the flexibility needed to make booster shots or whatever.

In another emerging facility, across the street from the M&T Bank stadium, the company has signed an agreement to manufacture lenzilumab, a possible treatment for COVID-19.

“There’s a lot of work to be done in fighting this backstage battle at facilities like ours and other industry facilities to make sure we collectively overcome this pandemic,” Kirk said.

Johnson and Johnson and representatives of AstraZeneca are in Bayview and Kirk said they are following the highest safety standards.

“Accelerated timelines haven’t jeopardized the safety we’ve incorporated into these products from the beginning,” Kirk said.

MONTH: COVID in Maryland: 903 new cases, 23 deaths reported

For the latest information on coronavirus, go to Maryland Department of Health website or call 211. You can find all WJZ coverage at coronavirus to Maryland here.

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