Johnson & Johnson to Begin Human Trials of Coronavirus Vaccine by September, Could Be Ready in Early 2021

Johnson & Johnson announced Monday that the first candidate for its experimental coronavirus vaccine has been selected, and trials will begin by September. J&J also said that if the first phase of testing goes as planned, the vaccine could be ready for administration under emergency authorization beginning in early 2021. This is much earlier than the usual 18-month period it takes for a new vaccine to be tested, approved, and then manufactured.

The company has been working on a potential COVID-19 vaccine since January. The chairman and CEO of J&J, Alex Gorsky, said in an interview with CNBC that the candidate “will ultimately be effective based on all the early testing and modeling we’ve been doing.” Besides the leading candidate, J&J has also developed two back-ups in case in case the first one falters.

J&J has also committed over $1 billion for vaccine research development and test, partnering with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority to help co-fund the vaccine. The company revealed its plan of adding new locations in the U.S. as well as overseas in order to increase manufacturing capacity, and make the distribution of the vaccine as quick and easy as possible when it is ready.

The COVID-19 virus has already killed around 34,000 people globally. Earlier this month, Moderna Inc. started human trials, dosing a patient with an early-stage vaccine.

J&J hopes to make more than 1 billion doses of the potential vaccine available by the end of next year. The company said that they will try to sell the vaccine on a not-for-profit basis, making it affordable for the average consumer.

Watch above, via CNBC.