A potential Covid-19 vaccine moved into human testing, a record pace for a virus scientists didn't know existed a few months ago.
The first participant received the investigational vaccine Monday. The trial began began in the Seattle area, which became the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak, with 42 of the 69 deaths in the nation. Scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases developed the experimental vaccine in collaboration with biotechnology company Moderna Inc.
"Finding a safe and effective vaccine to prevent infection with SARS-CoV-2 is an urgent public health priority," NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, said in a statement. "This Phase 1 study, launched in record speed, is an important first step toward achieving that goal."
There are no vaccines or therapies to combat the SARS-Cov2, virus that causes the respiratory disease known as Covid-19, nor are there any approved treatments or vaccines for any other coronaviruses, like SARS and MERS. The critical step in vaccine development comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called for discouraging any gatherings of 50 or more people to get a handle of a pandemic.
This first trial is just an initial step, and an actual vaccine is still a year to 18 months away, Fauci has been careful to clarify. Phase I trials mark the first time an experimental vaccine gets introduced into the human body, and they are small studies to assess whether the vaccine is safe and whether it evokes an immune response. It's the larger phase II and phase III trials that generate enough data to show whether a vaccine works and is safe enough to warrant approval by the Food and Drug Administration.
The effort is one of several to pursue a vaccine for Covid-19. GlaxoSmithKline announced last month that it is working with the Chinese-based Clover Biopharmaceuticals on an experimental vaccine. The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority is working with Sanofi and Johnson & Johnson on potential vaccines.
