NIH Unveils Public-Private Partnership for COVID-19 Vaccine

In an effort to accelerate the approval and production of COVID-19 vaccines, the National Institutes of Health has announced a public-private partnership with more than a dozen biopharmaceutical companies.

The U.S. Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the European Medicines Agency have signed on with world-class pharma companies to get a vaccine out amid the global coronavirus pandemic.

"HHS, FDA, CDC and the European Medicines Agency, they are all working together," President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House coronavirus task force daily briefing Friday. "We are working together with a lot of other countries. The partnership will marshal and coordinate the vast resources, knowledge, assets, and authorities of more than a dozen organizations and agencies to accelerate development of the most promising therapies and vaccines."

There already 35 different therapies and treatments being used in clinic trials, according to Trump.

"Therapies being so exciting to me, because that's really like, if something happens, you're going to get better, reasonably quickly without such a horrible deal as some people have to go through," Trump said in announcing the partnership.

The vaccination approval process can take longer than a year, though the administration is attempting to fast-track it.

"The vaccines are coming along really, really well," Trump said. "Johnson & Johnson is very well advanced. One thing is, they have, too – having great, great success – but we have to test them, and it takes a long period of time. It takes probably over a year unfortunately.

"But therapies are coming along very, very well."

A U.S. study of a potential COVID-19 vaccine is being expanded to include older adults, the age group most at risk from the new coronavirus.

The shot, made by the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc., is being tested in healthy young and middle-aged adults in Seattle and Atlanta.

Moderna announced Thursday the study is expanding to include older adults, divided into two age groups – 51 to 70 and those over 70.

NIH said it is seeking 60 older adults, bringing the total being tested in the initial phase to 105.

Moderna also announced new funding from the U.S. government to speed development of the shot, code-named mRNA-1273, including preparations to ramp up production and to get ready for larger, next-step studies.

Earlier this week, NIH infectious disease chief Dr. Anthony Fauci told The Associated Press the safety study was showing "no red flags," and he hoped the next phase of testing could begin around June.

The NIH shot is one of three leading candidates in the international search for a vaccine.

A candidate made by CanSino Biologics has begun the second phase of testing in China. Another, made by Inovio Pharmaceuticals, opened its first U.S. study last week and just received funding to begin similar test vaccinations in South Korea.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.