AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine study paused after one illness
New York: Late-stage studies of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine candidate are on temporary hold while the company investigates whether a recipient's "potentially unexplained" illness is a side effect of the shot.
In a statement issued on Tuesday evening, the company said its "standard review process triggered a pause to vaccination to allow review of safety data".
AstraZeneca didn't reveal any information about the possible side effect except to call it "a potentially unexplained illness".
The health news site STAT first reported the pause in testing, saying the possible side effect occurred in the United Kingdom. An AstraZeneca spokesperson confirmed the pause in vaccinations covers studies in the US and other countries.
Late last month, AstraZeneca began recruiting 30,000 people in the US for its largest study of the vaccine. It also is testing the vaccine, developed by Oxford University, in thousands of people in Britain, and in smaller studies in Brazil and South Africa.
Two other vaccines are in huge, final-stage tests in the United States, one made by Moderna Inc. and the other by Pfizer and Germany's BioNTech. Those two vaccines work differently than AstraZeneca's, and the studies already have recruited about two-thirds of the needed volunteers.
Temporary holds of large medical studies aren't unusual, and investigating any serious or unexpected reaction is a mandatory part of safety testing. AstraZeneca pointed out that it's possible the problem could be a coincidence; illnesses of all sorts could arise in studies of thousands of people.
"We are working to expedite the review of the single event to minimize any potential impact on the trial timeline," the company statement said.
It's likely the unexplained illness was serious enough to require hospitalization and not a mild side effect such as fever or muscle pain, said Deborah Fuller, a University of Washington researcher who is working on a different COVID-19 vaccine that has not yet started human testing.
"This is not something to be alarmed about," Fuller said. Instead, it's reassuring that the company is pausing the study to figure out what's happening and carefully monitoring the health of study participants.
Dr Ashish Jha of Brown University said via Twitter that the significance of the interruption was unclear but that he was "still optimistic" that an effective vaccine will be found in the coming months.
"But optimism isn't evidence," he wrote. "Let's let science drive this process."
Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at Columbia University in New York, tweeted that the illness may be unrelated to the vaccine, "but the important part is that this is why we do trials before rolling out a vaccine to the general public".
During the third and final stage of testing, researchers look for any signs of possible side effects that may have gone undetected in earlier patient research. Because of their large size, the studies are considered the most important study phase for picking up less common side effects and establishing safety.
The trials also assess effectiveness by tracking who gets sick and who doesn't between patients getting the vaccine and those receiving a dummy shot.
The development came the same day that AstraZeneca and eight other drugmakers issued an unusual pledge, vowing to uphold the highest ethical and scientific standards in developing their vaccines.
The announcement follows worries that President Donald Trump will pressure the US Food and Drug Administration to approve a vaccine before it's proven to be safe and effective.
The US has invested billions of dollars in efforts to quickly develop multiple vaccines against COVID-19. But public fears that a vaccine is unsafe or ineffective could be disastrous, derailing the effort to vaccinate millions of Americans.
Representatives for the FDA did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday evening.
AstraZeneca's US-traded shares fell more than 6 per cent in after-hours trading following reports of the trial being paused.
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New Controversy : Santy Sharma’s Reaction to Khushi Mukherjee’s Video Sparks Conversation
After rapper and singer Santy Sharma's reaction to Khushi Mukherjee's provocative photo/video posts on social media, people on different platforms are now having a heated debate. The comments made by Santy were soon spread across social media and opened the door for conversations surrounding the type of content that is being posted by public figures on social media.
In his view, digital platforms provide a way to express themselves through creativity and art; however, he feels it is important for celebrities/influencers with a large number of followers to be mindful of how their content may be perceived by others. According to him, people who possess a large following online have a level of responsibility regarding the actions they display via their social media and should be cognizant of what type of example they are setting for the youth.
Lastly, creating art should inspire creativity as well as allow users to use their voices to support necessary change in society; therefore, creativity and expression through digital platforms should produce positive social change while still being aware of culture and society's expectations.
At the time of writing, Santy Sharma was discussing how online behaviour has contributed to increased rates of rapes, which stimulated much debate and debate online. Supporters have advocated for improved online etiquette, while others feel he was insensitive in his comments and contradicts the need for sensitivity on these sensitive issues. The controversy has gone beyond social media and increased debate regarding gender-based issues, the ethics of media influence, and the necessity to address serious crimes with appropriate awareness and sensitivity.
Meanwhile, Santy Sharma has also announced his upcoming single titled “I Don’t Care,” which is scheduled to release on 10 March 2026. The track will be available on his official YouTube channel and other major music streaming platforms, creating anticipation among fans who are eager to hear his latest musical release.
