RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AstraZeneca’s vaccine is in the crucial trial phase with tens of thousands of participants and is considered a great hope. But now the pharmaceutical company has been forced to suspend its trials. One of the test subjects suffered a suspected serious adverse reaction.
The pharmaceutical company has halted the clinical trial of its coronavirus vaccine as a precautionary measure, after one of the subjects experienced adverse effects. This is a routine measure for such cases, the British company announced last night. “In large trials, diseases occur randomly, but need to be independently and thoroughly investigated.”
AstraZeneca will expedite this investigation in order to minimize delays in the vaccine approval process, the company said. The ultimate goal of the investigation is to determine whether the health issues were caused by the vaccine. During the suspension, no further study subjects will be vaccinated and previously vaccinated individuals will continue to be monitored.
The company emphasized that the health issues – which have not been detailed – were an isolated case. The STAT news website was the first to report on the trial suspension. A subject in the United Kingdom had become sick, it stated.
The New York Times, citing a person familiar with the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, reported that the health problem was transverse myelitis – an inflammatory syndrome that affects the spinal cord and is often sparked by viral infections.
AstraZeneca’s compound AZD1222, which is based on an attenuated version of a chimpanzee common cold virus, is designed to boost the immune system to destroy Sars-CoV-2 in the event of infection.
The vaccine is currently in its third and final trial phase with tens of thousands of participants and is considered a leading candidate for the development of an effective vaccine against the novel coronavirus.
Political pressure from the US
AstraZeneca and eight other pharmaceutical and biotech companies on Tuesday made a joint pledge to that they will not compromise safety in the development of a coronavirus vaccine. This uncommon decision came in light of concerns that there may be political pressure, particularly from the US, for urgent approval of the first vaccines before the presidential election on November 3rd.
US President Donald Trump promises almost daily that a vaccine will be available by the end of the year or possibly even before the election.