An Irish company is to develop the world’s first human challenge trial for Covid-19, which will see healthy volunteers exposed to the virus as a first step to testing the effectiveness of potential vaccines. It is being run by Dublin-based Open Orphan and its UK subsidiary, hVIVO, which has a history of running human challenge trials for viruses like influenza, malaria and the common cold. Volunteers are being recruited now, and are typically university students motivated by altruism or curiosity, says Open Orphan’s executive chairman Cathal Friel. In later vaccine trials, volunteers will be given either a new vaccine candidate or a placebo before being exposed to the virus. This week, Pfizer announced the results of an interim analysis which found that its vaccine is 90 per cent effective.

Source: The Irish Times November 14, 2020 01:12 UTC