The City of Bacolod is among the identified sites in the country to conduct the Phase 3 clinical trials of Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson for COVID-19 vaccine.
City Administrator Em Ang said members of the Emergency Operations Center Task Force were briefed by Dr. Adonis Guancia, the principal administrator of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine clinical trial in the city, about the development during a meeting held on Wednesday, Jan. 27 at the Bacolod Government Center.
“They are currently recruiting volunteers for the pivotal Phase 3 trials of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine,” Ang, who is also the EOC executive director and deputy for administration and operations, said in a statement posted on Facebook.
She also posted that “(t)he randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial is designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the vaccine in at least 500 adults, 40 years old and older, including significant representation from those who have comorbidities”.
“The trials mark the first for a COVID-19 vaccine in the Philippines and would allow the Philippines to contribute to worldwide knowledge on the development of a Covid-19 vaccine. The trials will also help scientists and medical experts confirm the effects of the vaccine on Filipinos,” the post added.
Janssen is among the two COVID-19 vaccine developers, which have secured approval from the Department of Health’s Ethics Review Board last December.
In a Facebook post on Jan. 23, Guancia said the clinical trial will start on Feb. 1.
“We will commence recruitment soon. Instructions regarding registration and qualifications of volunteers will soon be announced in several media outlets,” he said.
The trial is designed primarily to determine if the investigational vaccine can prevent moderate to severe COVID-19 after a single dose. – NLG
