In this photo illustration, the logo of the British pharmaceutical multinational GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) displayed on a smartphone with a computer model of the coronavirus COVID-19 in the background.
Budrul Chukrut | SOPA images | Getty Images
British GlaxoSmithKline and French Sanofi said on Monday that they have started a new clinical trial of their protein-based Covid-19 candidate vaccine and intend to reach the final testing stage in the second quarter.
If the results are conclusive, the two pharmacists expect to see the vaccine approved by the fourth quarter, after initially targeting the first half of this year.
The move comes after drug makers in December said their vaccine would be delayed after clinical tests showed an insufficient immune response in older people.
The new trial will aim to assess the vaccine’s safety, tolerability and immune response in 720 healthy adults in the United States, Honduras and Panama, the companies said.
The Sanofi and GSK candidate uses the same recombinant protein-based technology as one of Sanofi’s seasonal influenza vaccines. It will be coupled to an adjuvant, a substance that acts as an injection booster, made by GSK.
The study will test two injections given 21 days apart.