WHO's Ryan Says 6 Coronavirus Vaccines Started Advanced Trials

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th August, 2020) Six coronavirus vaccine candidates are in the final stage of testing globally, Mike Ryan, the executive director of the World Health Organization's Health emergencies program said Thursday.

"Six Phase 3 trials are beginning with larger numbers of patients, and as that work continues we have to continue to watch out for the safety and for the clinical efficacy signals.

Should we find that signal we should be able to move into production," he told reporters.

He estimated that roughly 140 vaccine candidates were under development, including 26 in clinical trials.

Of the six vaccines at the forefront of human testing three are being researched in China. Two tests are being run by US pharma giant Pfizer and biotech firm Moderna, and one by the University of Oxford and UK's AstraZeneca.