A leading coronavirus vaccine trial is on hold: scientists react
Scientists urge caution in global vaccine race as AstraZeneca reports ‘adverse event’ in a person who received the Oxford vaccine.
Enrolment in global trials of a leading coronavirus-vaccine candidate are 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.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02594-w
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https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02583-z
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The halted study is science at work
A single volunteer’s illness has sparked a temporary halt to the late-stage clinical trial of a leading coronavirus vaccine, an action that highlights the level of rigor needed to ensure that a vaccine is safe and effective, experts say.
AstraZeneca, which is developing the vaccine in concert with the University of Oxford, pushed pause on September 8 after a study volunteer in the United Kingdom had a suspected serious reaction. The hiatus will allow an independent review board to decide what to do next.
The illness may turn out to have nothing to do with the vaccine. If so, the trial, which may enroll as many as 50,000 people worldwide, including up to 30,000 in the United States, may resume. If the vaccine caused the illness — known as a serious adverse event — it could spell the end for AstraZeneca’s vaccine hopes. But experts say the pause is part of the tricky business of doing science and needed to happen to ensure safety.
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/coronavirus-covid19-pause-astrazeneca-oxford-vaccine-trial
