Bisnis.com, JAKARTA – More than seven months after the World Health Organization (WHO) first informed the world of a cluster of mysterious pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China, 167 vaccine candidates are being developed to prevent the disease-causing coronavirus (called COVID-19), according to WHO.
Most vaccine candidates are in the preclinical stage, meaning that they are still being tested in animals or in the laboratory, but some have reached human trials.
The clinical trial is divided into three to four stages, with the initial stage (phase 1 / phase 2) examining the safety, dosage, and possible side effects and efficacy (how well it works at fighting pathogens) of the vaccine candidate in a small group of people, according to Food. and Drug Administration (FDA).
The key to getting an approved candidate vaccine, however, is showing promising results in more advanced phase 3 trials.
In a phase 3 trial, researchers test the vaccine’s efficacy, while monitoring adverse reactions in hundreds to thousands of volunteers. The FDA then approves a vaccine if trials show it’s safe and effective, and the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Five coronavirus vaccine candidates have started recruiting, or are undergoing, phase 3 trials, according to the WHO. Here are the most promising candidates:
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