Washington: Johnson & Johnson announced Wednesday that it has begun the third and final phase of clinical trials for its COVID-19 vaccine.
The pharma company said the late-stage trial for its JNJ-78436735 candidate will include 60,000 adult volunteers in 215 locations worldwide.
Code-named “Ensemble,” the third-phase trial follows positive results in an earlier study in which the vaccine — which is being developed by Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen Pharmaceutic Companies subsidiary — was shown to be safe, company officials said.
The results of that trial will be published for peer review “imminently,” said Johnson & Johnson Chairman and CEO Alex Gorsky.
“This pivotal milestone demonstrates our focused efforts toward a COVID-19 vaccine that are built on collaboration and deep commitment to a robust scientific process,” Gorsky said in a statement.
“We are committed to clinical trial transparency and to sharing information related to our study, including details of our study protocol.”
The vaccine is among four that have been supported by the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed program to reach Phase 3 trials, along with candidates in development at Moderna, Pfizer and AstraZeneca.
