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- Trials of a promising Covid-19 vaccine were halted after one of its participants from the UK developed a “potentially unexplained illness.”
- The vaccine trial will also stop in South Africa.
- It was developed by the University of Oxford in association with AstraZeneca, who described halt as a “routine action.”
- For more articles, go to www.BusinessInsider.co.za.
Trials of one of the most promising pioneering vaccines against Covid-19 have been stopped after one of its participants developed a “potentially unexplained illness.”
The vaccine was developed by the University of Oxford in partnership with AstraZeneca and is currently being tested in South Africa, as well as Brazil, the United Kingdom and the United States.
A participant from the UK became ill with unknown symptoms.
READ | South Africans may have a big stake in Oxford’s promising Covid-19 vaccine, eventually
In a statement to the STAT publication, AstraZeneca described the suspension of the trial as a “routine action that has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained disease in one of the trials, while it is investigated, ensuring that we maintain the integrity of the trials. “
“In large trials, illnesses will happen by chance, but they need to be independently reviewed to verify this carefully.” AstraZeneca said.
The company said it was “working to expedite the review of the single event to minimize any potential impact on the testing schedule.”
The trial with 30,000 participants in South Africa and elsewhere has been suspended while an independent investigation reviews safety data, the BBC reports. Regulators will then decide if the test can be restarted.
The trial is currently in its final testing phase.
Robert Booy, a professor of vaccinology at the University of Sydney, told The Guardian that pausing a trial based on a single reaction to an unexplained illness “is more likely due to being very careful” rather than having a serious problem. with the vaccine.
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