J&J’s Janssen to begin Phase II COVID-19 vaccine trials next week in Spain

MADRID (Reuters) – Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen unit will begin Phase II trials for its COVID-19 vaccine in Spain, the Netherlands and Germany next week, Spanish health minister Salvador Illa announced on Friday, as the U.S. drugmaker expands testing for its experimental shot.

The trial will last two months and include 590 participants across the three countries, including 190 people in Spain, Illa told a news conference in Madrid.

More than 150 potential vaccines are being developed and tested globally to stop the COVID-19 pandemic, with 30 in human trials. There is so far no approved COVID-19 vaccine, except one authorised in Russia before large-scale trials.

(Reporting by Nathan Allen and Jose Elas Rodrguez; Editing by Beln Carreo)