US Selects Two COVID-19 Vaccine Candidates for Huge Investments

The government is assisting Johnson & Johnson and Moderna with expediting clinical testing while at the same time prepping for large-scale manufacturing.

Written byAmy Schleunes

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The US government has announced collaborations with Johnson & Johnson and Moderna to simultaneously support clinical testing and the development of production infrastructure for COVID-19 vaccines, according to a statement from the US Department of Health and Human Services.

“Delivering a safe and effective vaccine for a rapidly spreading disease like COVID-19 requires accelerated action with parallel development streams,” says Rick Bright, director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), in the statement. “The rapid progress we are making with industry partners clearly demonstrates a commitment to protecting people at home and abroad.”

Johnson & Johnson announced on Monday (March 30) a joint investment with the US government of $1 billion intended to create the capacity to manufacture more than 1 billion doses of a vaccine, reports Reuters, and the efforts will be funded in part by roughly $420 million from BARDA. The ...

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Meet the Author

Amy Schleunes
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A former intern at The Scientist, Amy studied neurobiology at Cornell University and later earned her MFA in creative writing from the University of Iowa. She is a Los Angeles–based writer, editor, and communications strategist who collaborates on nonfiction books for Harper Collins and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and also teaches writing at Johns Hopkins University CTY. Her favorite projects involve sharing the insights of science and medicine.
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