Everything we know about woman who got sick and halted a promising coronavirus vaccine trial

[Chris Smith]

• AstraZeneca halted its Phase 3 coronavirus vaccine trial earlier this week following a severe reaction that may or may not have been induced by the vaccine.
• CEO Pascal Soriot addressed the matter in a private call with investors, explaining that a woman in the UK who received the vaccine candidate developed neurological issues. Her condition is improving, and she was expected to be discharged on Wednesday.
• Reports earlier this week said the British woman might have developed a condition called transverse myelitis, and that researchers are looking at whether it could have been caused by the experimental vaccine.

The AstraZeneca/Oxford coronavirus vaccine partnership is one of the frontrunners in the COVID-19 vaccine race. Oxford was among the first few companies to publish promising results for COVID-19 immunity, and the vaccine is one of the three advanced experimental drugs that have reached Phase 3 trials in America and Europe. AstraZeneca has already inked deals with the US government, Great Britain, and other countries to provide hundreds of millions of doses if the vaccine is found to be safe and effective. But AstraZeneca had to halt Phase 3 inoculations at all international testing sites earlier this week after one volunteer developed a severe medical condition. It’s currently unclear whether the vaccine candidate triggered an adverse effect or the patient’s diagnosis happened independently of the drug. That’s why vaccinations were paused, so experts can investigate the matter and determine whether the research process can continue. AstraZeneca explained that such events are typical in drug research, without elaborating on what happened.

A report that followed indicated that a patient developed a condition called transverse myelitis, which is a severe spinal inflammation that can follow a viral infection. AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot addressed the matter in a private conference call with investors on Wednesday.

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Everything we know about woman who got sick and halted a promising coronavirus vaccine trial originally appeared on BGR.com on Thu, 10 Sep 2020 at 10:02:25 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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