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“We have temporarily stopped additional dosing in all of our clinical trials of an experimental COVID-19 vaccine, including all third phase trials, due to unexplained illness in a participant,” Johnson & Johnson said in a statement.
The pharmaceutical group said there was a difference between a “study stoppage” due to the company’s decision and a “regulatory shutdown” imposed by a health regulator.
In the announcement, the company reaffirmed its “strong commitment to safety,” reporting that the participant’s illness was reviewed by personal physicians as well as an independent safety monitoring board.
The American pharmaceutical giant is one of many companies competing around the world to produce the first COVID-19 vaccine.
It is currently in the third phase of a three-phase clinical development process during which the vaccine is administered to thousands of participants and tested for efficacy and safety, while several other participants receive a placebo treatment. In September, Johnson & Johnson reported that it had enrolled 60,000 people from three continents to participate in the third phase of the study.
