AstraZeneca – E24 Vaccine Testing Resumed

AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford confirmed on Saturday afternoon that testing of the corona vaccine on which they are collaborating will now resume.

“Clinical trials of the AstraZeneca-Oxford coronavirus vaccine, AZD1222, were resumed in the UK after the Medicines Regulatory Authority confirmed that it is safe,” AstraZeneca wrote in a press release.

The AstraZeneca candidate vaccine is one of eleven crown vaccines that Norway can access through international cooperation.

On Wednesday morning, it emerged that vaccine trials had stopped after a case of illness among one of the participants. The two partners cannot delve further into the participant’s illness.

AstraZeneca states that anyone monitoring the vaccine and study participants will be updated with relevant information that will also be published in global clinical registries, in accordance with current standards.

– AstraZeneca is committed to ensuring the safety of test participants and the highest standards for conducting clinical trials, states the press release.

Now only the British part of the testing is being carried out. This study is now in the so-called phase 2 and 3. At the same time, studies in the same phase are being carried out in Brazil and South Africa, while a phase 3 study is being carried out in the United States.

Neither the company nor the university will provide further information on when studies can be resumed in the US, Brazil and South Africa.

Nick Coatsworth, one of Australia’s top health officials, told Sky News on Wednesday that he was not concerned about the test break.

– In some ways, this can also be a very positive thing, because it shows that safety is a priority despite the rapid development of vaccines, he says.

Several other experts have also argued that such interruptions are more or less normal in clinical trials to have a chance to investigate whether the disease is a side effect of the vaccine.