Phase one of the human trials is expected to show results in six weeks
The United States has begun its first set of clinical trials for investigational vaccine against the coronavirus disease, with the support of a global coalition founded by India and Norway. The pandemic has already claimed more than 7,000 lives globally. President Trump, during a White House news conference on March 16, announced that the trial has begun at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (KPWHRI) in Seattle and the first patient has received the investigative vaccine.
As part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the trial is being funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). During Phase 1 of the study, 45 healthy adult volunteers, between the ages 18 and 55 will be enrolled in the open-label trial for approximately six weeks. According to the NIH, the purpose of the study is to evaluate different levels of doses under the experimental vaccine and whether it has the ability to induce an immune response in the human body or not. This study is the first step in the process of clinical trials analysing the benefits of the vaccination.
The vaccine has been developed by a joint collaboration between the NIAID scientists and a Massachusetts based biotechnology company Moderna, Inc. and is named mRNA-1273. The NIH has confirmed that the manufacturing of the vaccine candidate was supported by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).
