Johnson & Johnson said on Wednesday it would bring forward by two months human trials of its potential Covid-19 vaccine to the second half of July, as the drugmaker rushes to develop a shot for the contagious respiratory disease.
The company has already signed deals with the US government to create enough manufacturing capacity to produce more than 1-billion doses of its vaccine through 2021, even before it has evidence that it works. There are no approved treatments or vaccines for Covid-19.
J&J's study will test the vaccine against a placebo and assess its safety and immune response in 1,045 healthy people aged 18 to 55 years, as well as those 65 years and older. The trial will take place in the US and Belgium.
"Based on the strength of the preclinical data we have seen so far and interactions with the regulatory authorities, we have been able to further accelerate the clinical development," said J&J's Chief Scientific Officer Paul Stoffels.