[ad_1]
This is the latest in a series of hurdles scientists face in the long fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
US pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly suspended phase III trials of an antibody drug developed in its laboratory involving hospitalized patients on Tuesday due to an unnamed incident.
The day before, US pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson temporarily suspended phase III clinical trials of its vaccine in humans after an unexplained illness occurred in one of the participants.
Mathai Mammen, Johnson & Johnson’s head of research, told investors Tuesday it was a “temporary break” that might not be related to the vaccine.
It is not uncommon to find a problem in the final stage of clinical trials. Thousands or tens of thousands of volunteers are included in the final stages of the study to find out the drug’s side effects, which can occur very rarely.
Physician and researcher Eric Topolis, director of the Scripps Research medical research institute, wrote on Twitter that he was unexpectedly told there were issues with the safety of Eli Lilly’s antibody preparation, as no serious side effects had been identified in previous studies. . .
“Eli Lilly supports the decision of the independent DSMB (Data Security Monitoring Board) to carefully ensure the safety of the patients involved in this study,” a company spokesman told AFP in a statement Tuesday.
Eli Lilly did not provide any details on the safety issue and did not indicate how many people were affected.
The study was launched in August at more than 50 locations in the United States, Denmark, and Singapore. It is planned to include 10 thousand. volunteers.
Last month, British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca was the first in the world to announce the suspension of clinical trials for its COVID-19 vaccine because a volunteer in the UK was diagnosed with inflammation affecting the spine.
Testing was subsequently resumed around the world, with the exception of the United States. The reasons why testing remains suspended in the US are not announced.
[ad_2]
