Covid-19 vaccine developed by UK & Italian team could potentially be ready by September

By Pepi Sappal • Published: 15 Apr 2020 • 0:02

Coronavirus Vaccine: Sanchez is optimistic that there will soon be a solution to the virus. CREDIT: Shutterstock

Italian company Advent-IRBM, based in Rome, and the University of Oxford’s Jenner Institute in the UK have joined forces to develop a Covid-19 vaccine, which they believe could potentially be ready for September.

THE team is expected to test the vaccine on humans in the UK at the end of April. “In light of the data acquired in the last few weeks, the first batch of the vaccine will leave for England, where tests will start on 550 healthy volunteers,” stated Piero Di Lorenzo, CEO and Founder of Advent-IRBM.

The team decided to move forward with human tests after they confirmed the “non-toxicity” of the vaccine, thanks to laboratory tests. “If the phase one of clinical trials is successful, we expect to have the vaccine ready for use to vaccinate health personnel and law enforcement officers as early as September,” explained Di Lorenzo.

Sarah Gilbert, the vaccinology expert on the team at Oxford University told The Times that she is “80 per cent confident” that the vaccine being developed by her team would work. According to Di Lorenzo talks are underway with international investors and several governments to help speed up the development of the vaccine and its industrial production.

Scientists and researchers worldwide are racing against time to develop a vaccine for the coronavirus. According to the World Health Organisation, 70 vaccines are currently being developed, and three of those have already received approval to be tested on humans.