COVID-19 Vaccines Entering Final Clinical Trials One After Another... Competitive Launch Expected from Next Year

Johnson & Johnson to Conduct World's Largest Phase 3 Trial Starting September
Russia's Sputnik V Also Initiates Additional Clinical Trials with 40,000 Participants
South Korea Begins Full-Scale Domestic Vaccine Development and Procurement

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy reporters Hyunwoo Lee and Hyunui Cho] The American pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson announced that it will conduct Phase 3 clinical trials of its novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine on the world's largest scale, targeting 60,000 participants. As COVID-19 shows signs of resurgence worldwide, governments and companies, including ours, are engaging in fierce competition to develop and secure vaccines.

According to foreign media such as CNBC on the 20th (local time), Johnson & Johnson announced that it will begin Phase 3 clinical trials targeting 60,000 people starting in September. The 60,000-person clinical trial is the largest COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial conducted worldwide to date.

Previously, the British company AstraZeneca has been conducting Phase 3 clinical trials on 47,000 people worldwide, including 30,000 in the United States, while American companies Moderna and Pfizer are conducting Phase 3 trials on 30,000 people. Chinese companies CanSino and Sinopharm announced earlier this month that they would begin Phase 3 trials targeting 40,000 and 15,000 people, respectively.

Johnson & Johnson stated, "If this Phase 3 trial is successfully completed, vaccine production will be possible from the end of the year," adding, "We expect to complete emergency vaccine deployment early next year and produce 600 million to 900 million doses by April."

The Russian Sputnik V vaccine, which received approval after only conducting combined Phase 1 and 2 trials on 38 people and has been embroiled in global safety controversies, will also begin additional clinical trials. According to TASS news agency, the Gamaleya Institute in Russia, which developed Sputnik V, said in an online briefing held that day, "To test the vaccine's actual efficacy against COVID-19 patients, we will start clinical trials this month targeting 40,000 participants," adding, "Safety has already been secured, so it will not be necessary to verify it critically in this test."

Our government and companies are also actively entering the vaccine development and procurement race. It is known that domestically developed vaccines are still slower compared to major countries such as the United States and China. Among domestic companies, Genexine is the only one to have entered the clinical stage, having started Phase 1 trials in June.

The government plans to establish a clinical trial support system to accelerate development. It will operate the "National Infectious Disease Clinical Trial Center," a consortium composed of base hospitals capable of conducting clinical trials and infectious disease-dedicated hospitals that can easily secure patients, to support companies facing difficulties in clinical trials due to a shortage of severe patients. Furthermore, it will provide 500 million KRW per consortium to expand clinical trial research personnel and infrastructure within infectious disease-dedicated hospitals. Currently, three consortia have been finally selected, and after preliminary selection announcements and other procedures, research will begin by the end of this month.

In addition to developing vaccines domestically, the government is also entering the global procurement race. The Interministerial Committee for COVID-19 Therapeutics and Vaccine Development announced that it will participate in the "COVAX Facility," promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (Gavi). Through this international organization, which aims to supply vaccines equitably to countries, the government intends to have a voice in jointly developing vaccines as international public goods and establishing supply order. The goal is to secure enough vaccines for the entire population to be vaccinated, but if circumstances are difficult, at least to secure enough for herd immunity at about 70% of the population. To this end, advance payments will be made first to companies with a high likelihood of success, such as those entering Phase 3, and vaccines will be introduced gradually after development. Minister of Health and Welfare Park Neung-hoo said at the Interministerial Committee meeting that day, "Securing therapeutics and vaccines is of utmost importance to overcome COVID-19 and regain a safe daily life."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.