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Astra Zeneca has high expectations. The British pharmaceutical company is one of those at the forefront of the race for a corona vaccine. The EU, the US and Britain have already insured millions of ‘AZD1222’ cans. Although the so-called agent against the coronavirus has not yet been approved anywhere.
The news from the drug company is even more shocking. He had to stop his clinical study of vaccines in humans as a precaution. It seems that serious side effects have occurred. Astra Zeneca says one of the test participants had an unexplained illness. The stop will be made as a routine and precautionary measure. That means: no more vaccinations for study participants during the stop. People who have been previously vaccinated remain under observation.
The British are silent on the side effects. However, the review should be done quickly. With this, the company wants to keep a delay in the approval process “as low as possible”.
Investors angry about the reverse
Investors reacted coldly. Many investors sold shares of Astra Zeneca and the paper lost value. The Federal Office of Public Health (BAG) didn’t cool down, but it did. Not without reason.
“The federal government has been in close contact with Astra Zeneca for a long time in order to ensure greater access to Covid-19 vaccines for Switzerland,” BAG spokeswoman Katrin Holenstein told VIEW. The Federal Office also welcomes the approach of the British company, which is working with the University of Oxford in the development of providing all European countries with a vaccine under “favorable conditions”.
Switzerland has its first deal for a possible corona vaccine in a few weeks. The purchase agreement with the American company Moderna includes the delivery of 4.5 million doses of vaccines. Moderna’s agent is also still in the testing phase.
BAG does not react with a cold
Now the reverse with the Astra Zeneca vaccine. The STOCK EXCHANGE remains calm. “In the context of large studies, it is to be expected that individual study participants will have diseases,” says spokeswoman Holenstein. In such cases, an independent scientific investigation is essential to rule out a possible connection to vaccination. “
Is a vaccine deal with the British now in jeopardy? A few weeks ago, the BAG told VIEW: “Switzerland is confident that it will also receive vaccination doses of Astra Zeneca, and is in talks with the European Commission and several European countries.”
34 human vaccine projects tested
For BAG, setbacks in development are part of the day-to-day life of pharmaceutical companies. “Such clarifications can cause delays,” says Holenstein. “We will keep in touch with Astra Zeneca.”
Astra Zeneca is currently testing the candidate vaccine in the final phase in the US, UK, Brazil and South Africa. The tests must include up to 50,000 participants. The World Health Organization (WHO) had named the vaccine as one of the main candidates. According to WHO, there are currently 176 corona vaccine projects. Of these, 34 are in human clinical trials.
