Sanofi, GlaxoSmithKline set to start Phase 3 trials for COVID-19 vaccine after earlier setback – CBC
In December, companies said early trials showed ‘insufficient’ immune response in older adults
May 17, 2021
A COVID-19 vaccine developed by Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline showed a robust immune response in early-stage clinical trial results, enabling them to move to a late-stage study, the companies announced on Monday.
France’s Sanofi and U.K.-based GSK said a global Phase 3 trial would start in the coming weeks and involve more than 35,000 adults. The goal is for the vaccine to be approved by the fourth quarter after having initially targeted the first half of this year before a setback.
The delays were announced late last year, when the companies discussed their intention to improve the shot’s effectiveness in older adults.
The companies said in December that early trials showed the vaccine produced an “insufficient” immune response in people over 60 because it didn’t contain enough of the material that triggers the production of disease-fighting antibodies. The drugmakers said they planned to reformulate the vaccine and do more testing.
