IU School of Medicine to test experimental COVID-19 vaccine

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana University School of Medicine announced Thursday that it’s seeking up to 1,500 volunteers to take part in a late-stage clinical trial of an experimental COVID-19 vaccine.

The medical school is one of 81 sites in the U.S. — and the only one in Indiana — chosen to test the vaccine developed by British drugmaker AstraZeneca in partnership with Oxford University.

Nationwide, researchers plan to enroll a total of 30,000 participants for the clinical trial of the Cambridge, England-based company’s vaccine, known as AZD1222. Two-thirds of the participants will receive the vaccine and the remaining one-third will get a placebo.

IU’s vaccine testing will be conducted at IU Health University Hospital, located in Indianapolis. The Phase III trial is the last stage before manufacturers can seek the Food and Drug Administration’s approval for widespread public use.

Dr. Cynthia Brown, an IU School of Medicine researcher who’s overseeing the local study, said the hospital is hoping to enroll about 1,500 people over about eight weeks.

The school said people interested in taking part in the study can create a volunteer profile online with “All IN for Health.” They will then be alerted when enrollment opens for the vaccine study.

To be eligible, volunteers must be over 18 and not have tested positive for COVID-19. However, they must be at increased risk of contracting COVID-19, such as working in a school, store, warehouse or health care system, the medical school said.

Volunteers will need to travel to Indianapolis to receive two doses of the vaccine or placebo, as well as attend follow-up visits. They will be compensated for their time and participation.