‘POTENTIALLY UNEXPLAINED ILLNESS’

Clinical Trial of Oxford Vaccine on Hold Over Unspecified Safety Issue

The vaccine entered phase three of its clinical trial last week.

The clinical trial of one of the world’s most promising coronavirus vaccines has been put on hold due to an unspecified safety issue. The research behind the so-called Oxford Vaccine originated from Oxford University, and scientists there have partnered with pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca to conduct the large-scale randomized and controlled trials needed for a shot that would, if deemed safe, be administered to hundreds of millions. The drug entered phase three of its clinical trial—human testing conducted on volunteers—last week. AstraZeneca said in a statement, “Our standard review process was triggered and we voluntarily paused vaccination to allow review of safety data by an independent committee. This is a routine action which has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness in one of the trials, while it is investigated, ensuring we maintain the integrity of the trials.” Drugmakers recently signed a pledge to abide by the safety standards for medical manufacturers amid questions about White House pressure to deliver a COVID-19 vaccine by election day.