Phase 3 Study Testing of Coronavirus Vaccine Candidate Begins in the USA

On August 31, 2020, the US National Institutes of Health announced a multi-site, Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating an investigational vaccine known as AZD1222 has begun in the USA. The trial will enroll approximately 30,000 adult volunteers at 80 sites to evaluate if this candidate vaccine can prevent symptomatic COVID-19 disease.

The vaccine candidate uses a non-replicating chimpanzee adenovirus to deliver a SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to induce an immune response. SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes COVID-19. Oxford University’s Jenner Institute and Oxford Vaccine Group developed AZD1222. The candidate vaccine was licensed to AstraZeneca for further development.

NIH Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., stated: “We know that preventing this disease could require multiple vaccines and we’re investing in those that we believe have the greatest potential for success.”