Kaiser to launch Phase 3 testing of coronavirus vaccine in 1,400 California and Oregon adults [View all]

[Nevilledog]

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Kaiser-Phase-3-testing-coronavirus-Pfizer-BioNTech-15478815.php

Kaiser Permanente has joined a Phase 3 clinical trial to test a coronavirus vaccine candidate currently in production by Pfizer and BioNTech, and will seek to enroll 1,400 adults aged 18-85 in California and Oregon to join in the study, a press release from the medical organization states. The aim of the trial is to enlist 30,000 patients in 120 sites around the world to participate.

According to Kaiser's research study database, a portion of these vaccine candidates will be administered in Northern California at the Santa Clara Medical Center and the Sacramento Medical Center. Enrollment for the trial has not yet begun.

The study will be a double-blind, where half the enrolled patients will be given the vaccine candidate, called BNT162b2, and the other half will be given a placebo. Neither the patients nor the researchers will know which dose participants have received.

"Kaiser Permanente is extremely well-positioned to address this public health emergency," said Dr. Nicola Klein, director of the Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center in Oakland in a statement. "We have been a leader in vaccine research for more than 30 years and have participated in clinical trials for almost every vaccine that has been licensed in the United States. We know we can meaningfully contribute to helping determine whether this vaccine is effective in preventing COVID-19 disease."

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