PASADENA, CA – A research center in Pasadena and a Los Angeles hospital began conducting a clinical trial for a potential vaccine against the coronavirus on Wednesday.
Kaiser Permanente’s Department of Research and Evaluation in Pasadena is one of four sites in California and Oregon in which approximately 1,400 people will enroll to test BNT162b2, one of the vaccine candidates in development by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech, who are also the sponsors of the study.
The Kaiser Permanent Los Angeles Medical Center on Sunset Blvd 4867. is also participating in Phase 3 clinical trials, along with the Kaiser Permanent Center for Health Research in Portland, and the Department of Research in Oakland.
“This virus is a huge health threat and has deeply affected the world both economically and socially,” said Dr. William Towner, lead researcher for the trial on Kaiser’s Pasadena site. “It is imperative that we find a safe and effective vaccine as soon as possible.”
Participants must be members of adult health plans from 18 to 85 years of age that are not pregnant or plan to become pregnant during the trial.
The Phase 3 trial is a randomized trial in which half of the participants receive the vaccine and half receive a placebo. Neither participants nor clinicians will know who is receiving the vaccine versus the placebo (known as a double-blind study). In this phase of the trial, data on safety, immune response, and efficacy as required for regulatory control will be collected.
City News Service
