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The Australian government rescinded orders for 51 million doses of a coronavirus vaccine candidate in early tests after participants received false-positive results for HIV.
The vaccine was developed by the University of Queensland and the CSL biopharmaceutical company. Results from an ongoing phase 1 trial showed that the vaccine induced a “robust response” to coronavirus, and also suggested that the jab had a “strong” safety profile, tested among 216 trial participants, according to an announcement from the university issued on Friday.
“The University of Queensland vaccine will no longer be able to be based on scientific advice, and that will no longer be part of Australia’s vaccination plan,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday. “I think today, and the decisions we have made, should give Australians a great deal of assurance that we are proceeding carefully, that we are moving fast, but not too fast.”
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Some said the result was an embarrassment and others said it was a disappointment, including the vice chancellor of the university, Professor Deborah Terry.
Morrison also said his administration will not rush approval of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine because it wants people to have confidence in the product.
“We want to make sure that Australians, and I think we all feel very determined this way, have … absolute confidence that when they get the tick, they can get the jab,” Morrison said, according to the Associated Press.
The error came down to a part of an HIV protein involved in the vaccine, to help stabilize the virus. The researchers said that there was no possibility that vaccine recipients could become infected with HIV, and although trial participants were informed of some immune response (according to the university), the high levels of induced HIV antibodies appeared “very” unexpectedly in some HIV tests.
“It is generally accepted that significant changes to well-established HIV testing procedures in the healthcare setting would be needed to accommodate the launch of this vaccine,” according to the university statement.
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Professor Paul Young, co-director of the vaccine at the university, said it would have taken too long to redesign the vaccine.
“Doing so would delay development for another 12 months or more, and while it’s a difficult decision to make, the urgent need for a vaccine should be everyone’s priority,” Young said.
Health Department Secretary Brendan Murphy told reporters that while evidence suggests the vaccine would be effective, the country cannot risk public trust.
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Finally, Dr. Andrew Nash, CSL’s chief scientific officer, said the result exemplifies the potential for failure in the early stages of development. To offset the consequences of 51 million doses, Australia decided to increase CSL production of the potential Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine by another 20 million doses, to 53 million doses and increased its order of the Maryland-based Novavax vaccine from 40 million to 51 million. dose. This would be enough to cover the entire population.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
