CureVac Launches Phase 2 Trial of COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate

German drugmaker CureVac has launched a phase 2 trial to evaluate its COVID-19 vaccine candidate CVnCoV in Panama and Peru.

The study aims to confirm the messenger RNA vaccine’s safety and efficacy in adults at different dose levels. The trial will enroll 690 patients in two age groups, ages 18 to 60 and ages 61 and over, who will receive two vaccinations 28 days apart.

Initial results from the trial are expected in the fourth quarter of 2020, and the company plans to launch a global phase 2b/3 trial testing the vaccine in 30,000 participants around that time.

CureVac began phase 1 testing of its vaccine in Germany and Belgium in June (DID, June 18). The company is also finalizing a supply deal with the European Union for 225 million doses of the vaccine (DID, Aug. 21).

In other vaccine news, Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products has received approval from China’s National Medical Products Administration to begin testing its investigational COVID-19 vaccine and said it will begin dosing as soon as possible. The vaccine was shown to produce strong immune responses in preclinical studies.

The Chinese company is also collaborating with AstraZeneca to develop the UK-based company’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate AZD1222, and the two are working to produce 200 million doses by the end of 2021 (DID, Aug. 7). — Jordan Williams