- As previously reported by The Inquisitr, AstraZeneca is among the multiple drug manufacturers working on getting a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the pathogen responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, as soon as possible, despite the fact that the process normally takes years. The Cambridge, England-based manufacturer has been conducting large-scale clinical trials involving thousands of volunteers on the so-called “Oxford Vaccine” — developed in conjunction with a team from the British university — that so far appears to be one of the best candidates for a safe and effective immunization.
- However, this week the manufacturer announced that a test subject had experienced an unspecified adverse reaction to whatever was injected into them. As such, the researchers paused the tests so that an independent, third-party review board can get to the bottom of what happened.Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S.’ top infectious disease specialist, noted earlier this week that such pauses are not uncommon in the drug industry. He added that the system is in place to protect the health and safety of the test subjects, among other things.
- Unfortunately, that means that the timetable for getting the vaccine deployed could be delayed.
- As NBC News reported, AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot believes that the timetable of having the vaccine ready by the end of the year is still achievable — provided the review committee acts quickly.