A growing number of local pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device companies are joining efforts to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, writes John George for the Philadelphia Business Journal.

Plymouth Meeting-based Inovio is working with Wistar Institute in Philadelphia on a DNA-based vaccine candidate. This is now heading into late-stage clinical testing less than three months after being completed.

There are also several Big Pharma companies with a significant local presence working on vaccines, including Merck, Johnson & Johnson, and GlaxoSmithKline.

Meanwhile, companies such as PhaseBio in Malvern and Trevena in Chesterbrook are working on determining if existing products or those currently under development could be used to treat patients who have COVID-19. NeuroRx, with U.S. research operations in Radnor, is also developing a potential therapy for respiratory failure in coronavirus patients.

At the same time, area diagnostic companies are working on developing better ways to test for the infection. Limerick-based Rockland Immunochemicals is one of the first companies to create a research tool for COVID-19.

“Many companies have pivoted and made the fight against the coronavirus their primary focus,” said Chris Molineaux, CEO of the Wayne-based industry trade group Life Sciences Pennsylvania.

Read more about COVID-19 vaccine development efforts at the Philadelphia Business Journal by clicking here.

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