[Washington Examiner] AstraZeneca announced Tuesday that clinical trials for its coronavirus vaccine have been placed on hold due to a suspected serious adverse reaction in a patient in the United Kingdom.A spokesperson from the company said that the decision to pause the clinical trial, which enrolled thousands of volunteers, was part of "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," according to Stat.
It remains unknown whether the company put the trial on hold voluntarily or how long the hold will last, but the spokesperson said the company is "working to expedite the review of the single event to minimize any potential impact on the trial timeline."
The AstraZeneca vaccine candidate, developed along with the University of Oxford, is one of nine in phase three clinical trials.
The company did not disclose additional information about the adverse health effect in the U.K. patient. The company spokesperson said that "in large trials illnesses will happen by chance but must be independently reviewed to check this carefully."
The spokesperson also said the company is "committed to the safety of our participants and the highest standards of conduct in our trials."
More than 6.3 million COVID-19 infections have been confirmed in the United States, and nearly 190,000 people have died.
Dr. Anthony Fauci said that the possibility of a coronavirus vaccine before Election Day in November is "unlikely."
The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said in an interview with PBS's Judy Woodruff on Tuesday that a vaccine will more likely be available by the end of the year.