Johnson & Johnson says it can provide 20M vaccine doses by late March

Johnson & Johnson can deliver 20 million doses of its single-shot coronavirus vaccine to the U.S. government by the end of March, an executive will testify tomorrow.

“Assuming necessary regulatory approvals relating to our manufacturing processes, our plan is to begin shipping immediately upon emergency use authorization, and deliver enough single-doses by the end of March to enable the vaccination of more than 20 million Americans,” Johnson & Johnson’s Richard Nettles, vice president of medical affairs for the company's pharmaceutical unit Janssen, will tell a House Energy & Commerce subcommittee Tuesday.

The company has applied to the Food and Drug Administration for emergency authorization. FDA is expected to grant that as early as this weekend, after an expert FDA panel convenes Friday to discuss the effectiveness and safety of J&J’s vaccine.

Why it matters: White House officials had cautioned that initial supply of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine would be limited because of production problems, although the company has said it will meet its agreement to supply the U.S. with 100 million doses by the end of June.