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Oxford University says it will continue its trial of the COVID-19 vaccine in Brazil, following the death of a volunteer.
The Brazilian health authority said on Wednesday that a volunteer in the clinical trial of the possible vaccine, which has been licensed to pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, had died.
But the university said an independent review revealed no safety concerns.
“After careful evaluation of this case in Brazil, there have been no concerns about the safety of the clinical trial and the independent review, in addition to the Brazilian regulator, has recommended that the trial continue,” said a spokesperson.
The volunteer, who is Brazilian, did not receive the vaccine, it is understood.
Meanwhile, the Brazilian newspaper O Globo reported that the volunteer had been given a placebo and not the test vaccine, although this has not been officially confirmed.
Shares of the British pharmaceutical company turned negative and fell 1.7% after the news broke on Wednesday night.
A company spokesperson said: “We are unable to comment on individual cases in an ongoing Oxford vaccine trial as we strictly adhere to medical confidentiality and clinical trial regulations, but we can confirm that all testing processes have been followed. revision required.
“All major medical events are carefully evaluated by the trial investigators, an independent safety monitoring committee, and regulatory authorities.
“These evaluations have not raised any concerns about the continuation of the ongoing study.”
AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford are believed to be among the first in a global race to produce a coronavirus puncture. The UK government has signed an agreement for 100 million doses.
The vaccine is in phase 3 trials, the last stage before a treatment is declared safe, in several countries, including the United States and India.
In September, the UK trial was slow about potential dangerous side effects, but then restarted when the Medicines Health Regulatory Authority declared it safe to continue.
The first results of the trial showed that the vaccine was safe and produced strong immune responses in volunteers, but it is not known how effective it will be.
Brazil has the second deadliest outbreak of coronavirus, with more than 154,000 deaths from COVID-19, only after the United States.
It is the third worst outbreak in terms of cases, with more than 5.2 million infected, after the United States and India.
