Approximately 150 participants have enrolled in a potential Covid-19 vaccine trial at a Stellenbosch University (SU) trial site, with results expected as early as the first quarter of 2021. This forms part of an international trial that is currently underway.
The local trial site will enrol 200 participants of the 2 000 that would be enrolled across the South African trial sites, according to an article on the SU website. SU also reported that the vaccine being tested is one of the most promising potential Covid-19 vaccines currently available.
The vaccine, named ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, is based on a chimpanzee adenovirus, which is commonly used in the development of human vaccines, it is stated in SU’s article. According to the article, the trial is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Dr Shaun Barnabas of SU’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences leads the trial site at SU. He confirmed with MatieMedia that there are seven trial sites in South Africa, headed up by prof Shabir Madhi at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits).
“The study is coordinated by the Wits team, with each site allocated a number of participants to enrol. All the data gets collated centrally and we have weekly calls to review the progress,” said Barnabas.
This potential vaccine was developed at the University of Oxford and the trial, which began in April, is based in the United Kingdom (UK), according to an article on the University of Oxford’s website.
Initially, the trial was exclusively conducted in the UK for its first two phases of testing, but was expanded to South Africa and Brazil to assess the vaccine in other populations thereafter, it was stated.
The South African testing sites are enrolling a mix of people representative of the general population who are healthy, with no comorbidities, Barnabas said.
According to Barnabas, the trial consists of two doses of the vaccine, which are administered a month apart. After the second dose, immunology testing is conducted in the UK, he said.
The data is examined collectively across all official trial sites, according to the article published by University of Oxford.
Included in the number of doctors who are assisting Barnabas with the SU trial is dr Peter Zuidewind, a sub-investigator on the trial, as well as prof Mark Cotton from SU’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Cotton’s role is to provide support to Barnabas.
According to Zuidewind, his responsibilities include patient screening and enrolment, vaccine prescription, monitoring and assessing adverse effects and assessing patients who test positive for Covid-19.
“Participants are eager to get involved,” said Zuidewind.
He added that they had to work very quickly to get everything ready for the study.
“The urgency was to get as many participants enrolled as possible while the Western Cape was still in its peak in terms of Covid-19 infections,” said Zuidewind.
He said that if there were not enough Covid-19 infections happening, the data collected might not be strong enough to indicate whether the vaccine works.
“It has been challenging working on this study but very rewarding,” said Zuidewind.
“I am pleased that we are part of the vaccine initiative, as a successful vaccine is essential for the world to cope with this virus,” said Cotton.
Cotton said that he is hopeful that the trial will be successful.
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