Clover Kicks Off Phase 1 Trial of COVID-19 Vaccine in Australia

Chinese drugmaker Clover Biopharmaceuticals has dosed the first participants in a phase 1 trial of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, an Australian study that’s also evaluating two adjuvants contributed by its research partners.

The study will evaluate SCB-2019 with adjuvants from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Dynavax. It is expected to enroll 150 patients. Each dose level will be evaluated with and without the adjuvants developed separately by GSK and Dynavax.

The company anticipates preliminary results from the trial in August and hopes to begin a global phase 2/3 trial by the end of the year.

GSK said its adjuvant may make the vaccine effective at a lower dose so that it could be produced at levels large enough to supply much of the world. The UK-based company has entered into similar collaborations with other vaccine developers.

California-based Dynavax also said it expects its adjuvant to reduce the dose of antigen needed, helping to ensure broader availability of the vaccine to patients.

Clover is the sixth Chinese firm to begin human testing of a coronavirus vaccine candidate. Trials by two others, CanSino Biologics and Sinopharm, are now in phase 2. — James Miessler