As the global race to find the vaccine for COVID-19 continues while the world grapples with a pandemic, New Jersey-based pharmaceutical companies are on the forefront of finding treatment.

Johnson & Johnson and Merck are working around the clock to develop a potential treatment for the novel coronavirus, which has infected more than 300,000 globally and killed more than 12,000. In New Jersey, the coronavirus has infected at least 1,327 and killed 16.

Since the first case was reported in Wuhan, China in late December, thousands of researchers have been working on a vaccine to curb what’s become a global pandemic. The World Health Organization said Friday scientists are working on at least 20 different coronavirus vaccines.

And New Jersey, home to 14 of the 20 largest pharmaceutical companies, has been no different in fighting the spread of novel coronavirus.

“This stuff is right in our backyard,” said Navaneeth Narayanan, clinical assistant professor at Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers. “If it’s a New Jersey company that finds the vaccine — and it could be because there’s so many companies, it could certainly put us on the map. This is an extraordinary time."

Since January, New Brunswick-based Johnson & Johnson has been researching a vaccine and treatment for those already infected with novel coronavirus, Richard Nettles, Vice President of Medical Affairs with Janssen Infectious Diseases told NJ Advance Media.

Nettles, who works with J&J, said the drugmaker is trying to develop a vaccine as fast as it can by working with federal authorities to quicken testing phases.

“This is a special situation where the risk to the population of not having a vaccine is so great, that we’re able to go faster and not through all the phases of development,” he said.

J&J will likely begin a clinical trial with humans before the end of the year, he said. The country’s first clinical trial for a potential vaccine started Monday in Seattle.

Neal Browning receives a shot in the first-stage safety study clinical trial of a potential vaccine for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, Monday, March 16, 2020, at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle. Browning is the second patient to receive the shot in the study. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) APAP

Johnson & Johnson is teaming up with Harvard Medical School and Biomedical Advance Research and Development Authority of the federal Department of Health Human Services to speed up the process.

Typically, it could take as long as a decade to develop a vaccine, Narayanan said. But a “mission of the greater good” is pushing usually competitive companies to collaborate because of the risk of coronavirus.

Nettles didn’t provide a timeline for when a vaccine would be ready, but pointed to the expedited trial, which usually takes between five to seven years.

“This will go above and beyond as much as we can,” he said, adding this is “a solution the world needs everywhere.”

Merck, which received FDA approval for an Ebola vaccine in December, has high hopes for a potential cure. The Branchburg company is using its experience with developing antiviral medicines to find a way to slow the spread of COVID-19, CEO Kenneth Frazier told CNBC.

“We have a vast library and we’re going to continue to test those assets to see if any of them have effectiveness against this particular coronavirus,” he said.

While J&J and Merck have been involved in treatment for months, President Donald Trump asked the Food and Drug Administration to look into malaria drugs, chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, during a White House briefing on Thursday.

Trump said he believes the drugs show “tremendous promise.” But there’s limited evidence chloroquine, which is manufactured by Rising Pharmaceuticals in Somerset, offers any healing benefits for COVID-19.

Rising’s Chief Operation Officer Ira Baeringer told the New York Times they increased production roughly three weeks ago.

“We are experiencing an extraordinary demand, as you can imagine, but we are shipping to all of the orders,” Baeringer said. “We’re really trying to understand what the need is going to be.”

Narayanan urged companies to look at the scope of the current crisis and begin prepping for large scale production to get the eventual vaccine out as fast as possible.

“Hopefully they understand how much they’re going to have to produce for this,” he noted. “Knowing about this well ahead of time will hopefully allow them to anticipate it.”

Sign up for text message alerts from NJ.com on coronavirus in New Jersey:





Sophie Nieto-Munoz may be reached at snietomunoz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her at @snietomunoz. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips

Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.com’s newsletters.