J&J STARTS HUMAN TRIALS ON COVID-19 VACCINE NEXT MONTH

Johnson & Johnson (J&J) moved up the start of human clinical trials for its experimental vaccine against the highly contagious coronavirus by two months to the second half of July, as the drugmaker rushes to develop a prevention for COVID-19, the company said on Wednesday, Julie Steenhuysen and Saumya Joseph reported for Reuters late on June 10, 2020.

The acceleration should allow J&J to take part in the massive clinical trials program planned by the U.S. government, which aims to have an effective vaccine by year end. As a result of the news, J&J shares rose nearly 2% to $148.69.

Last March, J&J signed deals with the US government to create enough manufacturing capacity to produce more than 1 billion doses of its vaccine through 2021, even before it has evidence that it works.

There are currently no US approved treatments or vaccines for the virus. A vaccine is seen as essential to ending the pandemic that has infected more than 7.2 million people and killed over 412,000 globally, while battering economies worldwide.