Henry Ford Health System Selected As Site For COVID Vaccine Trial

DETROIT, MI — Henry Ford Health System in Detroit has been selected as a trial site for a potential COVID-19 vaccine.

The health system said Thursday that it will be a site for Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson’s Phase 3 clinical research study, ENSEMBLE trial, to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the Janssen’s investigational COVID-19 vaccine candidate, JNJ-78436735, also known as Ad26.COV2.S, according to a news release.

“We are honored to be one of only three sites in Michigan to participate in Phase 3 trials for Janssen’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate,” Henry Ford Health System Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer Adnan Munkarah said. “Henry Ford Health System has become a leader in treating COVID-19, as well as the study and development of potential vaccines and innovative therapeutics. We believe participating in this latest trial is an important part of our effort to stop this global pandemic.”

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The recruiting of volunteers to participate in the vaccine trial will begin immediately, the health system said. Anyone interested in volunteering can find details about the trial and sign up here.

The Phase 3 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a single vaccine dose of the Janseen COVID-19 vaccine candidate versus placebo, in about 60,000 adults across the United States and internationally, including significant representation among study participants of people over 60 years of age.

The trial will include people with and without comorbidities associated with an increased risk for progression to severe COVID-19, the hospital said. Researchers at Henry Ford Health System will enroll adults from Southeast Michigan, aged 18 or older.

“We hope Southeast Michigan residents will consider taking part in the vaccine trial, particularly people who are at a higher risk of coming in contact with the virus, and people who have a higher likelihood developing severe symptoms,” Munkarah said. “I’d like to thank everyone who volunteers for contributing to the global effort to combat COVID-19.”

As of Thursday morning, over 192,000 cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in Michigan. The virus has killed 7,419 people in the state, according to state health officials.