Johnson & Johnson to Begin Testing Coronavirus Vaccine in September

Johnson & Johnson is planning to begin clinical trials of its coronavirus vaccine with the goal of having it ready for distribution sometime in early 2021.

via NYDN:

Johnson & Johnson said work on the vaccine began in January alongside the Biomedical Advance Research and Development Authority, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services.

The company and HHS said at least $1 billion will be spent on research, development and clinical testing for the vaccine.

“The world is facing an urgent public health crisis and we are committed to doing our part to make a COVID-19 vaccine available and affordable globally as quickly as possible,” Johnson & Johnson Chairman and CEO Alex Gorsky said.

Johnson & Johnson will also expand its manufacturing in order mass produce the vaccine as soon as it is approved.

Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine isn’t the only one in the works in the U.S.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases received a vaccine from Moderna, a biomedical company, in February and the first clinical trials began in early March.

It sounds like we’ll be dealing with the coronavirus for quite some time.