The Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine which is being developed by Astra Zeneca in collaboration with Oxford University has been put on hold after a United Kingdom (U.K.) based volunteer experienced an unexplained illness, during the final stage clinical trials.
The halt is a standard precaution in vaccine trials that is meant to ensure experimental vaccines don’t cause serious reactions among participants. The AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine is seen as one of the most promising vaccines that are being developed across the world. There were speculations that the vaccine might be one of the first to hit the markets, following successful phase 1 and 2 testing.
Speaking on the occasion, the Spokeswoman of Astra Zeneca – Michele Meixell said, “As part of the ongoing randomized, controlled global trials of the Oxford coronavirus vaccine, our standard review process was triggered and we voluntarily paused vaccination to allow review of safety data by an independent committee.”
She further added, “This is a routine action which has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness in one of the trials, while it is investigated, ensuring we maintain the integrity of the trials.”
The Phase 3 trials of the vaccine were being conducted on 30,000 volunteers across U.K., United States (U.S.), Latin America, Asia, Europe and Africa. It is the second time that the vaccine trial has hit the roadblock. The trials were also suspended during the Phase 1 in April 2020.The final decision on restarting the trials will be taken by U.K medical regulator – Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
The Oxford University team believe this process illustrates that they are committed to the safety of their volunteers and the highest standards of conduct in their studies.
An Oxford University spokesperson said, “In large trials, illnesses will happen by chance but must be independently reviewed to check this carefully.”
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, i.e., September 8, 2020, a group of 9 COVID-19 vaccine developers, sought to reassure the public by announcing a historic pledge to uphold scientific and ethical standards in the search for a vaccine. Astra Zeneca was also a part of the pledge. Other developers include Johnson & Johnson, BioNTech, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Merk, Moderna, Sanofi and Novavax.
Besides, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has suggested that coronavirus vaccines may be approved before completing a third phase of clinical trials. This comes in the wake of U.S. President – Donald Trump pushing for a vaccine before the presidential elections in November 2020.
As per the World Health Organization (WHO), 180 vaccine candidates are being tested around the world, but none has yet completed clinical trials.
Globally, there are 2,74,79,047 cases of COVID-19 with 8,96,236 casualties. U.S. is the worst hit country with 63,45,770 cases and 1,89,538 casualties. India is the second most affected country reporting 42,80,422 cases and 72,775 casualties. With 41,65,124 cases and 1,27,517 casualties, Brazil is the third most hit country.
