March 31, 2020 — Johnson & Johnson said Monday that human clinical trials for a COVID-19 vaccine it has developed will start by September.
There is no approved vaccine for COVID-19 and no treatment for the disease. If the trial starts as planned, it will be the second one testing for a potential vaccine. In March, the National Institutes of Health started a phase 1 trial for a vaccine called mRNA-1273. It was developed by federal scientists and the biotechnology company Moderna, Inc.,
Phase 1 trials test if a vaccine is safe. If it is, the potential vaccine then moves to broader testing to see how well it works and the side effects.
Johnson & Johnson says it is working with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), which is part of the U.S. Department of Human Services. The company and BARDA have pledged $1 billion for vaccine research, development and clinical testing.
The company said in a press release its goal is to have the vaccine available for emergency use authorization by early 2021.