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ERG’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Daniel Gruener
speaks to Dayton 24/7 Now about COVID-19 clinical
trials and vaccine development


WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

DAYTON, O.H., October 13, 2020  — Johnson & Johnson is pausing its COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial after a volunteer suffered an unexplained illness.

This halt comes as researchers continue to study the effectiveness of the antibody treatment Regeneron in Dayton.
Dr. Daniel Gruener, chief medical officer for Evolution Research Group, said pausing clinical studies is not unusual because the goal is for vaccines to be safe and effective.

Still, many are wondering, is the vaccine timeline in trouble?

“I think it is likely that we will have a vaccine, or vaccines, by early next year, said Dr. Paul Offit, with the Vaccine Education Center. “I think that these clinical pauses do slow things down somewhat, but I think, in the long run, we will see these as a bump in the road.”

Dr. Gruener said we can’t just rely on a vaccine. We need a treatment until we get there.

Plus, he said not everyone can take a vaccine, like some of the older population and those with a compromised immune system.

“So, we have to have other options, and in my opinion, this is a very exciting option,” Gruener said.

That option is Regeneron, an antibody cocktail the president was recently treated with.
Evolution Research Group holds clinical trials across the U.S. Three of its sites are participating in the Regeneron trial, including Midwest Clinical Research in Dayton.

“This is a great way of getting access to this type of treatment that you normally would not get access to,” said Dr. Gruener.

As we wait for a proven treatment and vaccine, Dr. Gruener said we all have access to two important tools. “It’s called the masks, along with social distancing, that’s easy, highly effective,” said Dr. Gruener.

If you would like to participate in the Midwest Clinical Research Center’s Regeneron trial, you can call 937-858-1773.

Dr. Gruener said they’re looking for participants who are not positive for the virus. He said they’ll test volunteers and those who contract the virus will then be administered Regeneron or a placebo. All patients will be monitored.

About Evolution Research Group

Evolution Research Group, LLC is one of the largest, independent site companies in the U.S. focused in the execution of early and late phase CNS disorders with an industry leading clinical and operational team of professionals. ERG’s portfolio includes 15 fully owned and operated clinical research units, a network of affiliate sites. With over 400 beds and more than 40+ PIs and KOLs in several therapeutic specialties, ERG’s mission is to provide the highest quality on both inpatient and outpatient clinical trial execution across all clinical research phases, beginning with a focus on first-in-human, proof of concept studies. ERG advances research with healthy and specialized populations, across all age groups, and leverages its database to ensure minority ethnic/racial representation to increase enrollment of underrepresented populations. ERG embraces complex, specialized clinical trials with centralized quality assurance and compliance oversight to help sponsors speed lifesaving and life-enhancing therapeutics to market as quickly and safely as possible.

For more information, please visit our website: www.ergclinical.com.