80 elderly volunteers will be monitored for 3 weeks to see if viral antibodies develop (picture)
Jerusalem:
Israel will begin human trials of a potential COVID-19 vaccine developed by a research institute overseen by the Defense Ministry on November 1 after receiving regulatory approval, the ministry said on Sunday.
The Israel Biological Research Institute (IIBR) began animal testing for its “BriLife” vaccine in March. The Ministry of Health and an oversight committee have now given the green light to take the next step.
Eighty volunteers aged 18 to 55 will be followed for three weeks to see if viral antibodies develop, the ministry said in a statement. A second phase, which should start in December, will concern 960 people over the age of 18.
If successful, a third large-scale phase with 30,000 volunteers is planned for April / May. If successful, the vaccine can then be approved for mass use.
The vaccine, the ministry said, has already tested well in a number of animal models and the IIBR has produced more than 25,000 doses for the first and second phases of clinical trials.
“Our final target is 15 million rations for residents of the State of Israel and for our close neighbors,” said IIBR director Shmuel Shapira.
There are no internationally approved vaccines yet, but several are in advanced testing, including Pfizer Inc, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca Plc and Moderna.
Israel, with a population of 9 million, has started to ease a second nationwide coronavirus lockdown after the rate of daily infections has steadily declined. The country recorded 692 new cases on Saturday – up from a peak of more than 9,000 several weeks ago. It has reported 2,372 deaths from the pandemic.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
