Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine to be tested on children in next step to end pandemic
- The Oxford trial plans to enrol 300 volunteers in the UK to assess the safety and immune responses in children aged six to 17
- A larger testing involving thousands of kids is expected to be conducted by AstraZeneca in the US later
The Oxford trial plans to enrol 300 children aged six to 17, the university said in a statement on Saturday. The first vaccinations will take place this month, with as many as 240 kids receiving the coronavirus vaccine and the remainder a meningitis shot, which should produce similar side effects.
A larger trial involving thousands of children is expected to be conducted by AstraZeneca in the US later.
The phase II study will take place at three cities across the UK – London, Southampton and Bristol – and assess the safety and immune responses in children. Investigators will test the shot on kids aged 12 to 17 first before moving to the younger age group, with initial data expected by summer, Andrew Pollard, lead investigator on the trial, said.
The study will look at two dosing regimens one month and three months apart, Pollard said.
Child trials started in earnest at the end of last year after the safety and efficacy of the front runner vaccines had been established in adults. Pfizer, which has an approved vaccine for people aged 16 and over, completed enrolment for its trial of 12-to-15-year-olds last month with more than 2,000 children tested. Moderna is also testing its shot on teenagers and Johnson & Johnson is expected to start child trials soon.
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We planned to conduct child trials from the beginning “to make sure that we had the greatest opportunity for access across all ages” to the vaccine, said Pollard. “I’m absolutely delighted that today we’re launching the paediatric trials after this long road that we’ve been on.”
