LONDON (Sputnik) – The COVID-19 vaccine candidate being developed by the pharmaceutical company Janssen, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, will begin its phase three clinical trial across the United Kingdom on Monday with 6,000 voluntaries, the UK government announced.
The study, which is jointly funded by the UK government, is the third of its kind to enter clinical trials in the UK, together with the vaccine candidates being developed by US biotech company Novavax and University of Oxford/AstraZeneca.
Sharma said the UK government has developed a portfolio of six different vaccine candidates and secured access to 350 million doses to date, including 30 million doses of the Janssen vaccine, which, if safe and effective, could be rolled out in the UK by mid-2021.
A woman holds a small bottle labeled with a “Coronavirus COVID-19 Vaccine” sticker and a medical syringe in front of displayed UK flag in this illustration taken, October 30, 2020
The head of the government’s Vaccine Taskforce, Kate Bingham, explained that many types of vaccines are needed both here in the UK, and globally, “to ensure we can provide a safe and effective vaccine for the whole population”.
Phase 3 of the trials will initially involve 6,000 volunteers from 17 sites across the UK, including Belfast, Bristol, Cardiff, Dundee, Leicester, London, Manchester, Sheffield and Southampton.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
