J&J is preparing for a 60,000 person COVID-19 vaccine trial

Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is preparing for the most extensive study yet, following several COVID vaccines already in phase III trials. The drugmaker is preparing to enrol sixty-thousand participants into a phase III trial, which, according to the Government’s clinical trial database, is estimated to commence in September this year.

The trial would be conducted in approximately one-hundred and eighty sites across countries such as Brazil, the U.S and Mexico.

Competing coronavirus vaccine makers, including Pfizer and Moderna Inc, are in the stages of recruiting up to thirty-thousand volunteers for their late-stage studies.

A J&J spokesman stated: “We can confirm that planning and recruitment is underway for our Phase III program, which is subject to interim data of the Phase I/IIa trials and approval of regulators. Our Phase III program is intended to be as robust as possible, could include up to sixty-thousand participants and will be conducted in places with high incidence rates.”