FILE PHOTO: The company logo for Johnson & Johnson is displayed on a screen to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the company’s listing on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, US, September 17, 2019. REUTERS / Brendan McDermid / File Photo
(Reuters) – Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) aims to test its experimental coronavirus vaccine in up to 60,000 volunteers in a late-stage trial, scheduled to begin in September, according to bit.ly/3iWRuic to a U.S. government database of clinical trials.
The trial would be conducted in nearly 180 sites in the United States and other countries, including Brazil and Mexico, according to information posted on August 10 on clinicaltrials.gov.
“We can confirm that planning and recruitment is underway for our Phase 3 program, which is subject to interim data from the Phase 1/2a trials and regulatory approval,” a Johnson & Johnson spokesman said.
“Our Phase 3 program is designed to be as robust as possible, can accommodate up to 60,000 participants and will be conducted in places with high incident rates,” he added.
The spokesman said that J&J is using epidemiological data to decide where studies should take place and will make a final decision shortly. The Phase 3 trial is likely to conclude in late September, with the first faxes available before early 2021, he said.
Rival coronavirus vaccine makers like Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) and Pfizer (PFE.N) are aimed at recruiting up to 30,000 volunteers for their late-stage studies.
J&J shares rose marginally Thursday, and suffered early losses after the Wall Street Journal first reported on the sample size.
Reuters reported last week that the Trump administration’s coronavirus vaccine project recruited scientists in South Africa and Latin America to help test for possible vaccines in U.S.-backed medical clinical trials.
Report by Manas Mishra and Carl O’Donnell; Edited by Shinjini Ganguli and Dan Grebler
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