April 16, 2020

In the two latest Dornsife School of Public Health webinars from the series, “Emerging Issues in the Coronavirus Pandemic,” panelists spoke about the development of a vaccine and the importance of clinical trials in the fight against COVID-19.

The session “Why Do We Need Clinical Trials of Treatments and What Will They Tell Us?” on April 13, 2020, was moderated by Jim Buehler, MD, clinical professor and interim chair, Department of Health Management and Policy at Dornsife, former Health Commissioner of Philadelphia. Panelists included Leslie McClure, PhD, professor and chair, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Dornsife, and Charles B. Cairns, MD, FACEP, FAHA, dean, College of Medicine at Drexel University.

First, McClure reviewed the structure, goals and importance of clinical trials to treat diseases like COVID-19.

The ultimate goal of a clinical trial is to determine “what one’s outcome with treatment would be compared to what their outcome would be without treatment,” said McClure. The process is very rigorous and typically takes years, but with the urgent need for an effective treatment or therapy for coronavirus now, efforts are being sped up to save lives.

Though the timeline is condensed, McClure assured viewers, “We do not want to mistake speed for a lack of scientific rigor.”

McClure and Dean Cairns then provided commentary on potential COVID-19 treatments that have been in the news lately, including  use of the antiviral medication remdesivir, the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine, HIV drugs, and influenza interventions.

Watch the session below to learn more and watch experts answer common questions on clinical trials that were submitted by the audience.

The session “Can We Expect a Vaccine Any Time Soon?” on April 9, 2020, was moderated by Esther Chernak, MD, MPH, FACP, associate clinical professor, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, director, Center for Public Health Readiness and Communication at Dornsife. Panelists included Marian W. Wentworth, president and chief executive officer, Management Sciences for Health, and Lydia L. Ogden, PhD, MPP, founder and principal, All Access Health, LLC.

The presenters spoke about vaccine development, strategies, and dissemination.

Similar to conducting clinical trials, particularly because lives are being lost to coronavirus at a rapid rate, the timeline to have vaccines readily available is being expedited by regulators but that does not mean safety is compromised.

Wentworth shared a guiding principle of vaccine developers for viewers concerned about vaccine safety: “The benefits must outweigh the risk and the estimates of the risk must be based on good science.”

Watch the session below to learn more and watch experts answer common questions on vaccines that were submitted by the audience.

To watch all of the webinars in this series visit Dornsife's YouTube channel.