AstraZeneca Resumes COVID-19 Vaccine Clinical Trials in UK After OK From Health Regulators

LONDON (Sputnik) – The pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca announced on Saturday that it has resumed the clinical trials for its COVID-19 vaccine, after receiving permission from UK health regulators, following a pause triggered by a sudden illness in one of the participants.

“Clinical trials for the AstraZeneca Oxford coronavirus vaccine, AZD1222, have resumed in the UK following confirmation by the Medicines Health Regulatory Authority (MHRA) that it was safe to do so,” the Anglo-Swedish multinational said in a statement.

AstraZeneca put on hold all global trials of the vaccine being developed in cooperation with the University of Oxford on September 6, after one of the UK volunteers taking part in the study fell ill.

According to the pharmaceutical, the trials were suspended worldwide to allow the 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,” the statement added.

The vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca in partnership with the Oxford University's Jenner Institute and the Oxford Vaccine Group is in phase 3 trials, which is the final stage before safety and efficacy data can be submitted to health regulators for approval.

More than 50,000 people worldwide have been taking part in the clinical studies to see whether the candidate vaccine, known as AZD1222, can develop an immune response to COVID-19.