Johnson & Johnson accelerates human trial of coronavirus vaccine

Johnson & Johnson today announced it accelerated the initiation of its first human trials of its coronavirus vaccine candidate, with the trial slated to begin in the second half of July.

In J&J’s first human trial, it will combine Phase I, usually a small study to test safety, with a Phase IIA trial to evaluate immune response and effectiveness. Both phases will enroll a total of 1,045 people between 18 and 55 years old and older than 65.

The company in March received $456 million from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority to develop its vaccine and is one of several being evaluated under Operation Warp Speed, a public-private partnership to facilitate, at an unprecedented pace, the development, manufacturing, and distribution of COVID-19 countermeasures.