BAPTIST HEALTH to begin first vaccine trial in state.
The first clinical trial in Arkansas for a coronavirus vaccine is set to begin this month, officials at the Baptist Health Center for Clinical Research said Wednesday.
The study, which has a target start date of July 27, is part of the White House initiative Operation Warp Speed, which is a national push that aims to deliver 300 million doses of a safe, effective vaccine for covid-19 by January.
The center, on the Baptist Health Medical Center campus in Little Rock, is seeking 800 Arkansans to volunteer to receive either the vaccine or a placebo and be monitored for two years, Dr. Richard Pellegrino, president and CEO of the research center told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
The study is a late-stage clinical trial, meaning it will look at the effectiveness of the vaccine in preventing people from contracting the coronavirus. Earlier-stage trials look at whether a vaccine is safe for humans and try different dosages.
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc. reported findings from an earlier-phase study on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported. The first experimental vaccine in the United States boosted people’s immune systems and is poised to begin final testing, in which the Baptist Health trial will play a role as one of numerous studies across the country that will test 30,000 people cumulatively to determine if the shots protect them against the virus.
“In order to know whether something works, you need a lot of people,” Pellegrino said.
Those interested in participating can sign up to volunteer at arkansascovidvaccine.com, where they will be asked screening questions to determine their eligibility.
Researchers are particularly seeking people over 65 because they are at greater risk for complications from the disease as well as people whose jobs put them in contact with the public, such as grocery store, factory or health care workers.
People who have been infected are ineligible for the study because they would already have antibodies working to defeat the virus.
Though the monitoring period is two years, Pellegrino said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration may authorize a vaccine before that period ends if the early results are promising and the vaccinated volunteers are not contracting the virus.
“They’ll be looking at results as they come in, and if something looks to be efficacious, they might do that,” he said.
Volunteers will be compensated for their time and travel up to $1,125, according to the center’s website.