Clinical trials for the AstraZeneca Oxford coronavirus vaccine have resumed in the United Kingdom following confirmation by the Medicines Health Regulatory Authority (MHRA) that it was safe to do so.
On Sept. 6, the standard review process triggered a voluntary pause to vaccination across all global trials to allow review of safety data by independent committees and international regulators. The UK committee has concluded its investigations and recommended to the MHRA that trials in the UK are safe to resume.
“AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, as the trial sponsor, cannot disclose further medical information. All trial investigators and participants will be updated with the relevant information and this will be disclosed on global clinical registries, according to the clinical trial and regulatory standards,” a release stated.
The AstraZeneca vaccine is believed to be one of the most promising among a host of candidates undergoing trials.
Halting trials when an illness crops up is not unusual. Companies running the trials typically check in with those receiving the vaccine to determine if others have fallen ill or suffered side effects.
AstraZeneca employs 1,500 in Delaware headquarters and logistics operations.
