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Glaxo, SK Bioscience Start Final Testing of Covid-19 Vaccine

Glaxo, SK Bioscience Start Final Testing of Covid-19 Vaccine

GlaxoSmithKline Plc said it’s starting a final stage clinical trial on a Covid-19 vaccine candidate designed by South Korean drugmaker SK Bioscience Co.

The study will enroll 4,000 participants and compare the shot to that of AstraZeneca Plc and Oxford University, Glaxo said Tuesday. The U.K. drugmaker is providing an adjuvant, which is a substance that can enhance the response to vaccines.

Another vaccine would help reduce the scarcity of shots as countries such as the U.S. and Israel start giving booster shots even before many poor countries have yet to get their vaccination drives up to speed. The delta variant has spurred concern that the protection of jabs by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE may wear off over time.

Studies on vaccines are shifting their protocol as it’s no longer considered ethical to test them against a placebo. Instead, they’re being put head-to-head against other vaccines. France’s Valneva SA is testing its shot against the AstraZeneca-Oxford rival as well.

Glaxo said results are expected in the first half of next year. The U.K. drugmaker has been developing adjuvants for other vaccines developed by Sanofi and Medicago. Those are also in phase-three testing.

©2021 Bloomberg L.P.