Nov 16 (Reuters) - Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc said on Monday it had received the U.S. health regulator's clearance to begin a mid-stage study of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, INO-4800.

The trial will be funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, the company said. (Reporting by Manojna Maddipatla in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)