<p>German biotech firm CureVac announced Monday the start of final phase clinical trials for its coronavirus vaccine before seeking approval from regulators.</p>.<p>The company said more than 35,000 people would take part in the tests in Europe and South America.</p>.<p>"The first volunteer has been recruited," CureVac said in a statement.</p>.<p>Germany is battling an explosion of new coronavirus infections and is imposing a partial lockdown from Wednesday.</p>.<p><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/coronavirus-news-live-updates-india-karnataka-maharashtra-tamil-nadu-delhi-kerala-west-bengal-Bengaluru-deaths-cases-recoveries-active-cases-Covid-19-vaccine-pfizer-biontech-united-states-927146.html"><strong>For latest updates on coronavirus outbreak, click here</strong></a></p>.<p>CureVac follows Germany's BioNTech which has already gained approval in the United States, Britain and Canada for its vaccine developed with US pharma giant Pfizer.</p>.<p>Both vaccines use new technology based on mRNA. The process entails injecting a short sequence of viral genetic material to trigger an immune response by producing proteins acting against the virus.</p>.<p>CureVac launched second phases trials at the end of September with 690 volunteers in Peru and Panama. Results are expected to be published soon.</p>.<p>But Swiss pharma company Novartis on Monday reported that phase three trials with its drug ruxolitinib had failed to show improvement when treating severe Covid-19 patients.</p>.<p>The drug, sold under the brand names Jakafi and Jakavi, is used to treat myelofibrosis.</p>.<p>The European Union has earmarked 225 million doses of CureVac's candidate with an option for 180 million more if it wins regulatory approval.</p>.<p>The company listed on the New York-based Nasdaq stock exchange this year and $150 million of the funds raised is pledged to develop the vaccine.</p>.<p>CureVac also made headlines in March with reports that President Donald Trump had sought to secure exclusive rights for the United States to its potential vaccine.</p>.<p>Both the company and US officials denied the claim, but the reports sparked outrage in Berlin and prompted Economy Minister Peter Altmaier to declare "Germany is not for sale."</p>.<p>Britain launched a mass vaccination campaign last week using the BioNTech-Pfizer product and the US was due to kick off its programme on Monday.</p>
<p>German biotech firm CureVac announced Monday the start of final phase clinical trials for its coronavirus vaccine before seeking approval from regulators.</p>.<p>The company said more than 35,000 people would take part in the tests in Europe and South America.</p>.<p>"The first volunteer has been recruited," CureVac said in a statement.</p>.<p>Germany is battling an explosion of new coronavirus infections and is imposing a partial lockdown from Wednesday.</p>.<p><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/coronavirus-news-live-updates-india-karnataka-maharashtra-tamil-nadu-delhi-kerala-west-bengal-Bengaluru-deaths-cases-recoveries-active-cases-Covid-19-vaccine-pfizer-biontech-united-states-927146.html"><strong>For latest updates on coronavirus outbreak, click here</strong></a></p>.<p>CureVac follows Germany's BioNTech which has already gained approval in the United States, Britain and Canada for its vaccine developed with US pharma giant Pfizer.</p>.<p>Both vaccines use new technology based on mRNA. The process entails injecting a short sequence of viral genetic material to trigger an immune response by producing proteins acting against the virus.</p>.<p>CureVac launched second phases trials at the end of September with 690 volunteers in Peru and Panama. Results are expected to be published soon.</p>.<p>But Swiss pharma company Novartis on Monday reported that phase three trials with its drug ruxolitinib had failed to show improvement when treating severe Covid-19 patients.</p>.<p>The drug, sold under the brand names Jakafi and Jakavi, is used to treat myelofibrosis.</p>.<p>The European Union has earmarked 225 million doses of CureVac's candidate with an option for 180 million more if it wins regulatory approval.</p>.<p>The company listed on the New York-based Nasdaq stock exchange this year and $150 million of the funds raised is pledged to develop the vaccine.</p>.<p>CureVac also made headlines in March with reports that President Donald Trump had sought to secure exclusive rights for the United States to its potential vaccine.</p>.<p>Both the company and US officials denied the claim, but the reports sparked outrage in Berlin and prompted Economy Minister Peter Altmaier to declare "Germany is not for sale."</p>.<p>Britain launched a mass vaccination campaign last week using the BioNTech-Pfizer product and the US was due to kick off its programme on Monday.</p>