TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT: WHO SHOULD DECIDE? BY STEVEN CHAN
F
rom the sounds emanating from the federal government, market analysis, and the White House, you might believe that the public will have the first round of vaccines coming out somewhere between October and the end of the year. The scramble is on, with one political party driven to get the preventative treatment to pharmacies before election day; the other, throwing shade on its effectiveness without knowledge of
the final test results. What matters is that Boston’s health care community is working in the trenches to deliver an effective vaccine as soon as possible—albeit with a caveat. In late July, Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) announced their leadership roll in the testing of COVID-19 vaccine trials. Through communication sent to media sources, the hospital indicated they advanced their effort to conduct a 30,000 subject phase 3 trial, including a phase 3 COVE study evaluating mRNA-1273. 50 | OCTOBER 2020 | NEW ENGLAND NEWS + MEDIA
The vaccine, manufactured by Moderna, located in Cambridge— and now practically a household name, may become the shining star in the battle against COVID-19. The study will include participants from around the country, with the hospital acting as a clinical partner, in conjunction with the COVID-19 Prevention Network (CoVPN). From a press release, we learned that Lindsey Baden, MD, an infectious disease specialist and vaccine expert, will serve as a co-principal in the study. “This is the first phase 3 trial that will test the effectiveness of the vaccine against COVID-19, and we have been working diligently across [the] industry, academia, and government to pave a path for launching this trial rapidly and safely,” said Baden. “Our goal has been to not only launch this important trial but also to develop a rapid, high-quality process for vaccine trials that are to come.” The COVE study is under the umbrella of Operation Warp Speed (OWS), having a goal of delivering 300 million doses of a tested and proven vaccine for COVID-19 as early as 2021. OWS is part of a partnership under the Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the FDA, the NIH, BARDA, and the Department of Defense.
DIMITRI HOUTTEMAN
Health
