AstraZeneca has paused all clinical trials of the Covid-19 vaccine it is developing with Oxford university after a participant in the UK section of the study suffered a suspected serious adverse reaction.
The UK-based drugmaker voluntarily put the trial on hold after the discovery of the sick participant, who fell ill with a rare inflammatory condition called transverse myelitis, according to two people familiar with the trial.
AstraZeneca said it was reviewing the event to ensure it would not result in a significant delay. People associated with the trial said it could resume early next week, after the study’s independent data monitoring board has investigated.