Johnson & Johnson to begin human trials of Covid-19 by September

American company Johnson & Johnson, has said that it has selected a lead COVID19 vaccine that will move to human trials by September. The vaccine could be ready for emergency use by early next year.

   

The pharmaceutical company has signed an agreement with the US government's Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority to invest one billion dollars in the effort.

 

The company began working on the vaccine in January using the same technology it used to develop a vaccine for Ebola.

 

Paul Stoffels, the company's chief scientific officer, informed that his team has combined a common cold virus



incapable of replicating with parts of the coronavirus, and hoped it would trigger a human immune response.

 

The company said it is expanding its global manufacturing capacity both in the US and in other countries, to help it supply more than a billion doses of its vaccine around the world.

 

Separately, the US pharmaceutical Moderna has already moved into human trials for its vaccine, as has China's CanSinoBIO.

 

There has never been a successful human vaccine for any virus belonging to the coronavirus family. There are currently no approved vaccines for the COVID-19 either.