September 9, 2020 – SEOUL, South Korea – The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) announced today that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded close to 1.5 million USD to IVI to support clinical trial site preparedness in four African and Asian countries to potentially support future COVID-19 Phase III efficacy vaccine trials.
Following successful completion of early-stage clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccine candidates, it will be essential to transition to efficacy trials at different sites around the world with high disease burden, including those in resource-limited settings. To ensure these sites are prepared for efficacy trials with the necessary technical capability, trained staff, sufficient trial participants, and a thorough assessment of prevailing COVID-19 burden, IVI aims to bolster in-country capacity at select sites by 4Q2020.
Dr Florian Marks, Deputy Director General of Epidemiology, Public Health, Impact, and Clinical Development at IVI, said: