Charlotte medical practice seeking 900 people to test new COVID-19 vaccine
Tryon Medical Partners is looking for up to 900 participants for a new COVID-19 vaccine trial — the Charlotte independent practice’s second such trial.
The practice announced the coronavirus vaccine trial last week, just before Pfizer announced its vaccine candidate has been 90% effective in preventing COVID-19 in study participants. And Charlotte’s major hospital systems, Atrium Health and Novant Health, have said they both have purchased refrigeration units to store that vaccine if needed.
Tryon and its research partner, Winston-Salem-based Javara, have begun registering patients in the trial, a Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson research study. Anyone interested in participating can call 704-586-9386.
Tryon Medical announced in July it would be participating in a Moderna COVID-19 vaccine trial. The practice registered more than 460 people in that trial, many of whom have already received the first and second dose of that vaccination.
Both studies follow trial participants for two years, but news from the studies could be released much earlier, Tryon Medical CEO Dale Owen said.
Tryon Medical is participating in multiple vaccine trials in order to “play an active role on behalf of our patients” in stopping the spread of the coronavirus, Owen said.
“This is the time when we have to do what’s important,” Owen said. “…We need to stick our nose in it all the way and make sure that we are doing what’s right for the health of the patients.”
The study resumes
Tryon Medical first announced a foray into clinical trials through a partnership with Javara in August 2019. Since then, Javara staff have been working alongside Tryon Medical doctors to bring medical studies to Charlotte patients.
People interested in signing up for the new vaccine trial do not need to be Tryon Medical patients, Owen said. And there is some compensation for study participants, but Owen said he couldn’t disclose the amount participants could receive.
The Janssen vaccine uses a dead adenovirus — a group of common viruses that can cause cold-like symptoms — to present material from the coronavirus to the immune system, causing an immune reaction. There’s no additional risk of catching COVID-19 from the vaccine, Owen said.
“It’s impossible to get the virus from the vaccine because there is no live COVID virus in the vaccine,” Owen said.
The Janssen study is one injection. Participants could receive the COVID-19 vaccine or a placebo.
The study has been resumed after a temporary pause due to an “unexplained illness” in one participant. But the Food and Drug Administration and the company have found no evidence that the vaccine cause the illness, according to the company.
Tryon Medical is especially looking for people ages 65 and older, or between 18 and 64 who work at jobs with a higher risk of exposure to COVID-19, like teachers, first-responders, healthcare workers and college students living on campus, according to Tryon.
Preference will be given to people in under-represented communities like Latinos and African-Americans, Tryon said in a statement.
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