Abu Dhabis G42 Healthcare has extended the first Phase III trials of an inactivated COVID-19 vaccine to a new centre in Bahrain with the first volunteers being vaccinated in the kingdom
The new phase of the #4Humanity trials will reinforce the ongoing collaboration between UAE and Bahrain public health bodies in combating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and increase the number of individuals taking part in the trials
In total, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre in Abu Dhabi and Al Qarain Health Centre in Sharjah, up to 6,000 volunteers are being sought for the new centre that will be the third in ongoing trials after the ones in the UAE.
This is an extension of G42 Healthcare's ongoing 4Humanity programme, the phase III clinical trials of the inactivated vaccine developed by Sinopharm CNBG in China, which began in the UAE on 16 July. This is an extension of a current program in the UAE which will be used in Bahrain with the same vaccines used by Sinopharm, the sixth-largest vaccine producer in the world.
G42 Healthcare CEO Ashish Koshy said, “It was always part of our original plan to open several centres to ensure the broadest impact and opportunity for individuals to participate and join the 4Humanity campaign. There has been a hugely enthusiastic response from the Ministry of Health and other public health bodies in Bahrain to work with us on the trials and to encourage their communities to volunteer in the trials.
The trials began on 16 July in Abu Dhabi and are being managed by G4 Healthcare in partnership with the Health Department-Abu Dhabi, the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) and Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA). They are carried out per international guidelines laid down by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Food & Drug Administration (USFDA).
The Phase III clinical trials followed the success of Sinopharm’s Phase I and Phase II trials in China, resulting in 100 per cent of volunteers generating antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. The new Phase III trial centre is open to individual volunteers between the ages of 18 and 60 who live in Bahrain and will last six to twelve months, with the volunteers needed to be available for follow-up during this time.
