New NIH Network to Coordinate Multiple COVID-19 Vaccine Trials

A new clinical trial network formed by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) aims to accelerate COVID-19 vaccine research by using a standardized protocol to test multiple vaccine candidates, allowing results of the trials to be compared more easily.

The COVID-19 Prevention Trials Network (COVPN), which is made up of three HIV and one infectious disease trial networks currently funded by NIAID, will implement the vaccine protocol developed by the Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV) public-private partnership.

COVPN will operate trials at more than 100 U.S. and international sites and develop an extensive patient outreach program to collect the thousands of volunteers needed to conduct the phase 3 trials. The network will begin operations this summer.

To read the NIH statement, click here: bit.ly/2Drkorr. — Leslie Ramsey