Janssen Pharmaceutica has started Phase 3 clinical trials of its COVID-19 vaccines in the country, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Undersecretary Rowena Guevara said.

Guevara made the announcement in a virtual press briefing on Friday, February 19, adding that she could not disclose further details of the trials.

“‘Yung sa cities, nabigay na namin ‘yan last time. ‘Yung number [of partipcants] po ay hindi po namin puwede i-reveal; Janssen po ang puwede magsabi niyan,” she added. (We’ve already provided [which cities will participate] last time. We cannot disclose the number of participants; only Janssen is authorized to do so.)

The DOST earlier said that the following cities were the target sites of the Janssen trials: San Pablo, Laguna; Cabuyao, Laguna; Makati City; La Paz, Iloilo; and Bacolod City.

Clinical trials are a type of research which evaluates potential medical interventions that affect one’s health. During trials, medicines, treatments, procedures, and devices may be tested to study or verify their clinical or pharmacological effects before they are approved for public use.

Janssen, the pharmaceutical firm of Johnson & Johnson, is developing a vaccine using a “non-replicating viral vector” called Adenovirus 26, which  has been genetically engineered so it can still invade cells but can’t replicate and cause disease. The company used the same method to develop vaccines for Ebola and other diseases. 

Unlike most other candidates, Janssen’s vaccine utilizes a single dose. Despite this, the company said it would use some Phase 3 trials to study the effects of two doses given 56 days apart. 

Its vaccine can also be stored in standard refrigerated facilities, making the prospect of distributing and administering vaccines easier for lower income countries like the Philippines. 

Meanwhile, Guevara said that trial site preparations are ongoing for Sinovac and Clover Biopharmaceuticals.

Though it could not give the exact date of the arrival of vaccines in the country, the government said that the vaccination program would start this February.

The pandemic has infected over 110 million people globally. As of Thursday, February 18, the Philippines has 555,163 cases, with 11,673 deaths and 512,375 recoveries. – Rappler.com