Oxford University and AstraZeneca, a UK-Swedish drug firm have suspended final clinical trial for a vaccine on the COVID-19 virus after a subject in the UK became sick.
Oxford had partnered the drug firm in April for the development of a COVID-19 vaccine, with the hope of beginning supply in September if clinical trials were successful.
According to BBC, AstraZeneca, on Tuesday, said it has now paused the late-stage trials of the experimental COVID-19 vaccine after a study participant developed an unexplained illness.
After successful phase one and two trials, the developers, on September 3, initiated a third trial, which is said to have involved about 30,000 participants in the US, the UK, Brazil and South Africa.
AstraZeneca described the pause as a “routine”, and it said the development is as a result of the trial being closely watched around the globe.
“We have no idea whether this is a big deal or not Science is hard. This is why we have to let the trials play out,” Ashish Jha, an Indian-American physician and academic, wrote on Twitter while commenting on the pause.
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“I remain optimistic we will have a vaccine found to be safe and effective in upcoming months. But optimism isn’t evidence. Let’s let science drive this process.”
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