The German pharmaceutical company CureVac announced that it has started Phase 2 clinical trials of its experimental vaccine against Covid-19, a study that will be carried out in Peru and Panama.
A first participant was vaccinated applying the technology CureVac has specialized, based on messenger RNA molecules (mRNA) found in the human body, the Tübingen laboratory said in a statement Tuesday night. .
The study will have a total of 690 participants.
The first complete data of this phase — studying older people with a high risk of Covid-19 — are scheduled for “the fourth quarter” of 2020, CureVac said.
The third and final phase of trials for this vaccine should begin in the fourth quarter, with up to 30,000 volunteers expected.
“The initiation of the Phase 2 clinical trial in Peru and Panama is an important step forward in our Covid-19 clinical study program,” stated Mariola Fotin-Mleczek, technical director of CureVac.
CureVac is among the dozens of laboratories across the world that is seeking a vaccine that will slow or stop the coronavirus pandemic.
The company recently went public on the Nasdaq electronic exchange, and $150 million of the funds raised have been used to finance the development of the vaccine.
The European Commission has already reserved 225 million doses of the possible CureVac vaccine. It is the fourth such agreement between the EU and laboratories.
