A Leiden coronavirus vaccine has accelerated its testing timeline, with human trials now set to start from July.
Janssen Vaccines sped up its testing process after initial animal testing results were promising. Virologist Hanneke Schuitemaker made the announcement during a webinar of parent company Johnson & Johnson yesterday.
“The tests showed that this vaccine produces antibodies that can attach to and neutralize the coronavirus,” Schuitemaker previously told NU.nl.
What comes next?
The next step is testing on 1,045 healthy people in Belgium and the United States. Success will depend on safety, the immune response, and how the body responds to the drug. The company is also hoping to start a testing round on a larger group of people earlier.
READ MORE: Six months: Dutch scientists say coronavirus treatment could be released this year
The company is poised to create a billion doses of the coronavirus vaccine by 2021 if the trials are successful.
Parent company Johnson & Johnson has received more than half a billion dollars from the US government to develop the vaccine. The Dutch government has not contributed but wants to facilitate development. Of course, if the vaccine proves successful it will be fairly shared between countries.
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