AdventHealth recruiting for COVID-19 vaccine trial

AdventHealth is now a testing site for Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine trial, aiming to recruit 4,500 adults during the next eight weeks.

“We want to bring the vaccine to where it can do the most good – in those communities and groups most at-risk for COVID-19,” according to an AdventHealth statement, encouraging participation by volunteers from diverse backgrounds, including African Americans, Hispanics, seniors and front-line health workers

Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine trial is one of 11 large-scale trials that are going through the final phase of testing before a decision for approval. In Central Florida, several institutions are participating in vaccine trials, including Orlando Immunology Center, which is testing an investigational vaccine by British drug-maker AstraZeneca.

Individuals who want to participate the Johnson & Johnson trial at AdventHealth need to be 18 years and older. They must be in good or stable health.

The vaccine is only one dose. Volunteers will receive either a dose of the investigational vaccine or a placebo and will be in the trial for up to two years and one month. They may receive compensation for travel-related expenses.

The vaccine or placebo will be administered to approved participants at the AdventHealth Orlando Translational Research Institute, East Orlando and Kissimmee campuses.

The Johnson & Johnson trial is run by Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a division of the company. The trial is called ENSEMBLE and is recruiting up to 60,000 participants 18 years and older, in the United States and seven other countries. Now in its final phase — Phase 3 — researchers are evaluating the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.

The vaccine was temporarily stopped in October due to an adverse reaction in a volunteers but has resumed since.

The vaccine doesn’t contain the virus that causes COVID-19. The company is using the same technology that it has used to develop HIV, RSV and Zika vaccine candidates and the Ebola vaccine regimen that ’s been approved by the European Commission.

In August, Johnson & Johnson received $1 billion for 100 million doses of the vaccine if it’s approved. It is aiming to manufacture one billion doses of the vaccine each year.

To see if you qualify, visit AdventHealthVaccineTrials.com or call 844-422-2282.