BACOLOD City – Belgian pharmaceutical company Janssen is set to conduct the Phase 3 clinical trial of its coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine in this city.
According to city administrator Em Ang, members of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) were briefed by Dr. Adonis Guancia, the principal administrator of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine clinical trial in the city, about the development during a recent meeting.
“They are currently recruiting volunteers for the pivotal Phase 3 trials of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine,” said Ang, also the EOC executive director and deputy for administration and operations.
She said the randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial is designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the vaccine in at least 500 adults, 40 years old and older, including significant representation from those who have comorbidities.”
“The trials mark the first for a COVID-19 vaccine in the Philippines and would allow the Philippines to contribute to worldwide knowledge on the development of such a vaccine. The trials will also help scientists and medical experts confirm the effects of the vaccine on Filipinos,” Ang said.
Janssen was among the two COVID-19 vaccine developers, which have secured approval from the Department of Health’s Ethics Review Board in December 2020.
Guancia said the clinical trial will start on Feb. 1 to determine if the investigational vaccine can prevent moderate to severe Covid-19 after a single dose. (With PNA/PN)
