Metro Roundup: Vestavia medical organization doing COVID-19 clinical trials

As the world waits eagerly for a COVID-19 vaccine, one medical organization in Vestavia Hills is working hard to help turn the vaccine into a reality.

Achieve Clinical Research, located in the shopping center behind Walgreens on U.S. 31 in the old Todd’s Mall property, is offering clinical trials of a potential vaccine for a pharmaceutical company.

Medical Director Dr. Hayes Williams said they were asked in August if they would consider leading the trial, and the lab didn’t pass on the opportunity.

If patients meet the criteria, they will be given an injection, and then a second injection three weeks later. The injection will either include the possible vaccine or a placebo, Williams said, and Achieve will follow the patient for two years, tracking what happens to them and any symptoms they may experience.

All patients are volunteers, and Achieve has seen about 200 patients total — about 20 or 25 per day, Williams said. The study is FDA-approved, though the drug is not. The placebo is given in order for drug companies to determine whether or not there is a difference between those who are given the placebo and those who are given the vaccine, as well as ensuring there aren’t any problems with the drug. By using a placebo, he said they are able to rule out false positives as well. Only the drug company knows who is actually given the vaccine.

Only those who are likely to get the virus will be included in the study, Williams said, and a physical exam, medication check, a blood sample and a nasal culture are all performed before beginning the study.

Currently, Williams said he hasn’t seen any significant problems from taking the medication, but no results on whether the possible vaccine is effective will be known for a while. It typically takes two to three years to find out if the drug works, he said, though sometimes a fast track is done, but even that still takes time.

Williams said while many national leaders have expressed hope there would be a vaccine by the end of 2020, “there’s no data to suggest that’s true.”

But that doesn’t mean places like Achieve are not working fast to identify a vaccine.

“We’re doing a lot of work with a lot of people and doing it quickly,” Williams said. “It’s a big honor for our company to be doing this. … It could cure the world of COVID-19.”

Patients, too, play a role, Williams said. Many of them have said they aren’t getting a potential vaccine simply for protection, but to help find a vaccine as quickly as possible.

Williams spent 20 years as an ears, nose and throat doctor before coming to Achieve 19 years ago. The company has locations in Alabama, Florida and Georgia and does “all types of research,” Williams said.

The company continues to grow, he said, and gets asked to do research on a variety of different diseases, such as arthritis, lupus and diabetes. Having a study like this in Vestavia Hills is a “great thing for the city,” Williams said.

Those interested in taking part in the study can call Achieve at 205-757-8208.