North Texas Infectious Disease Consultants is looking for more volunteers to participate in its efforts as part of a Pfizer Pharmaceutical Company’s trial for a COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine trial is part of what is being called “Project Warp Speed,” a fast-track effort by the U.S. government to develop an effective vaccine by the end of the year.
According to a statement on the Pfizer website, this is “a Phase 1/2/3, randomized, placebo-controlled, observer-blind, dose-finding, vaccine candidate-selection and efficacy study in healthy adults.”
Phase 1 of the study will “identify preferred vaccine candidates and dose levels,” while Phases 2 and 3 will be the “expanded cohort and efficacy part.”
Pfizer said, “The study will evaluate the safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of two different SARS CoV 2 RNA vaccine candidates against COVID 19 and the efficacy of one candidate” as a two dose schedule with doses 21 days apart, at various dose levels in Phase 1 and in different age groups in both Phase 1 and Phase 2/3.
Dr. Mezgebe Berhe, who is leading the study at NTIDC, explained that while traditional vaccines inject a dead or weak virus to get a person’s immune system to develop antibodies, this vaccine trial is injecting a type of code that prompts cells to produce antibodies.
Volunteers needed the most are minorities and those working on the front lines, like in grocery stores and schools. Participants will be paid $120 per visit for six doctor’s office visits. Anyone interested can email vaccine.study@ntidc.org.
— Tammye Nash
