CNN reported on Tuesday that UK pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca has stated that it has begun Phase 3 trials of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine in the US, becoming the third company to start late-stage trials of a COVID-19 vaccine.
This COVID-19 vaccine, developed in partnership with Oxford University, has the backing of the US federal government. The company's rivals, Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTec, already have Phase 3 trials under way, also with federal government funding.
According to AstraZeneca, it is recruiting up to 30,000 adults aged 18 years or over from diverse racial, ethnic and geographic groups who are healthy or have stable underlying medical conditions, including those living with HIV, and who are at increased risk of infection from the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Reportedly, participants will receive two active or placebo doses, spaced four weeks apart.
Currently, Phase 3 trials of AstraZeneca's vaccine are being conducted in the UK, Brazil and South Africa. Trials are also planned for Japan and Russia.
AstraZeneca added it intends to enrol more than 50,000 volunteers globally, including 30,000 in the US, as well as participants in Latin America, Asia, Europe and Africa.
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