A study on a new Covid-19 vaccine booster is being launched in Bath this month, with around six hundred volunteers being recruited across the UK.
Photo © Alex Gakos / Shutterstock.com
Participants at the Royal United Hospital will receive a vaccine to tackle Covid-19 infections, as part of an ongoing clinical study.
The study is being run by pharmaceutical company Sanofi with the Covid-19 vaccine they are developing in partnership with GSK.
The purpose is to examine to what extent a single booster injection safely creates a broad immune response against the different Covid-19 variants, in participants who have previously been fully vaccinated with an authorised Covid-19 vaccine.
Participants will be asked to attend a minimum of six study visits, and their health will be monitored for 12 months.
Those interested in volunteering for the trial can find out more by visiting the study website.
It is open to adults aged 18-years-old and above, who have previously been vaccinated against Covid-19, with a licensed Covid-19 vaccination schedule.
Participants need to have received their final dose of vaccine between 4 and 10 months ago.
A broad range of people may be included, from those who are healthy to those with health problems that put them at risk for complications due to Covid-19.
Recruitment to the study has already begun in the United States, Australia and France.
The first group of volunteers for the earlier phase of the study were vaccinated in October 2021, and a proportion of potential participants were identified through the NHS Covid-19 Vaccine Research Registry, which currently has over 515,000 people signed up.
To register interest in vaccine studies and sign up to be contacted by researchers, people can visit the NHS COVID-19 Vaccine Research Registry.
Professor Adam Finn, Chief Investigator for the study said: “Throughout the pandemic we have seen excellent engagement and participation from the public within multiple pivotal vaccine studies.
“By examining the safety and effectiveness of the booster vaccine from Sanofi, it’s hoped researchers and participants can help add another option to our current portfolio of vaccines.
“Booster vaccines from different suppliers will give us a broader range of vaccines and help us to reinforce supply as we look to boost immunity in the population going forward, as needed.”
Professor Andrew Ustianowski, National Clinical Lead for the UK NIHR COVID Vaccine Research Programme, added: “In addition to the several other COVID-19 vaccine studies running across the UK, this latest booster study from Sanofi will help inform future vaccine plans across the UK and beyond.
“As more of the population become fully vaccinated, research and studies such as this continue to strengthen our understanding of how we can help protect everyone against coronavirus moving forward.”
