The trial of German pharmaceutical company CureVac’s coronavirus vaccine has entered the third and final phase in Belgium, bringing it one step closer to approval.
This final stage, for which 2,000 Belgian residents have volunteered, will help improve the general understanding of the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine.
"Phases 1 and 2 have indicated that the vaccine is safe and there are no side effects. Now, we want to generate a large amount of data to commercialise the vaccine," said Kristel Knops of Mensura, one of the occupational health services organising the trial.
The Belgian segment of the worldwide phase 3 trial involving a total of 32,500 people will start on Tuesday, when Mensura and occupational health services Cohezio will each welcome 1,000 participants for the final stage.
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Only half of the volunteers will be administered the vaccine, the other half will receive a placebo to successfully test the efficacy of the vaccine.
Alongside receiving five physical check-ups and several follow-ups by phone, an application will also be at the volunteers' disposal, on which they will have to report whether they are experiencing any side-effects or have any complaints.
Belgium has signed up for 2,9 million doses of the CureVac vaccine, which can be kept at standard fridge temperatures, instead of at extremely cold temperatures like the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.
CureVac hopes to have sufficient evidence and results about its vaccine around mid-May.
Lauren Walker
The Brussels Times
