A Leading Coronavirus Vaccine Trial Is On Hold

2020-09-10

Scientists urge caution in the global vaccine race as AstraZeneca reports an‘ adverse event’ in a person who received the Oxford vaccine.

Enrolment in global trials of a leading coronavirus-vaccine candidate is on hold after a ‘suspected adverse event’ in a person who received the vaccine in the United Kingdom. Scientists say that it’s too soon to say what impact this might have on the global push to develop a vaccine, but that the news highlights the importance of waiting for the results of large, properly designed trials to assess safety before approving a vaccine for widespread use.

Hopes have been high that the vaccine might be one of the first to come on the market, following successful phase 1 and 2 testings. Its move to Phase 3 testing in recent weeks has involved some 30,000 participants in the US as well as in the UK, Brazil, and South Africa. Phase 3 trials in vaccines often involve thousands of participants and can last several years.

Details of the adverse event, including how serious it is and when it happened, have not been reported by Oxford or AstraZeneca. But the trial’s pause comes amid concerns that US drug agencies might face political pressure to approve a vaccine before trials are completed, ahead of the US presidential election in November.

Source; BBC and Nature articles

Compiled by;

Aishwarya Thapa

Executive Member, BSN