Johnson & Johnson has begun administering its COVID-19 vaccine to 12-17-year-old participants of its ongoing phase 2a clinical trial, the drugmaker said April 5.
The trial, which began in September, was designed to determine the vaccine's safety and efficacy for a one-dose regimen, as well as test potential vaccination schedules at one, two and three-month intervals for a two-dose regimen.
The vaccine will first be tested in a small number of adolescents who are 16 and 17, and more adolescent participants are expected to be phased in following the review of initial data. The trial is currently enrolling participants in Spain and the U.K., with enrollment to follow shortly in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Argentina and the Netherlands.
In addition to bringing adolescent participants onto the study, the drugmaker is also working with health authorities to start testing the vaccine among pregnant women and children, Mathai Mammen, MD, PhD, the global head of research and development for Johnson & Johnson's pharmaceutical arm, said in a news release.
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