A United States (US) biotechnology company on Tuesday announced that it has started the first clinical trial of a coronavirus vaccine candidate with the hopes of releasing a proven vaccine this year.
The company Novavax announced that it will inject the vaccine NVX?CoV2373 into 130 healthy participants between 18 to 59 years of age at two sites in Australia.
According to the company, the preliminary results of the first clinical trial are expected in July this year.
The trial is being supported by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).
The company is planning to conduct the second phase of the clinical trial in multiple countries.
“The Phase 1/2 clinical trial is being conducted in two parts. The Phase 1 portion is a randomized, observer-blinded, placebo-controlled trial designed to evaluate the immunogenicity and safety of NVX?CoV2373,”Novavax said in a statement.
“The Phase 2 portion is expected to be conducted in multiple countries, including the United States, and would assess immunity, safety and COVID?19 disease reduction in a broader age range. This Phase 1/2 approach allows for rapid advancement of NVX?CoV2373 during the pandemic,” it added.
The company stated that it had chosen NVX?CoV2373 as its lead vaccine candidate following pre-clinical testing that demonstrated high immunogenicity and high levels of neutralizing antibodies.