Barwon Health join vaccine trial

Barwon Health will be part of a clinical trial to test a potential vaccine for COVID-19.

The vaccine candidate is developed by American biotechnology company Novavax.

For their part in the trial, Barwon Health will recruit 100 subjects, on which the potential vaccine will start being tested this month and continuing into 2021.

Barwon Health’s head of Infectious Diseases Professor Eugene Athan said he was pleased the healthcare provider had the opportunity to be part of the trial.

“Since the pandemic started, we’ve anticipated the opportunity to be part of a COVID vaccine trial. It’s an opportunity for Barwon Health and the Geelong community to be involved in ground-breaking international research with historical significance.”

Professor Athan said subjects involved in the trial would be observed closely.

“Participants have a one in five chance to get the placebo, while others will get different doses of the active vaccine candidate,” he said.

“We will be monitoring subjects very closely with follow-up visits throughout the trial and testing antibody levels that build up in their blood, indicating potential immunity to the virus, general health and safety and whether subjects develop COVID-19 illness.”

The Barwon Health subjects will be part of a larger study where the vaccine candidate will be trialed on 750-1500 healthy adults aged 18-84 in Australia and the United States.

A preliminary trial of the vaccine candidate included 131 healthy adults aged 18-59 from Melbourne and Brisbane and did not raise any major safety concerns.

The vaccine candidate attempts to have the virus invade human cells while simultaneously triggering the body’s immune response to produce antibodies against the virus.

It is hoped this will stop people getting infected, or not be as sick if they do get infected.