Covishield is the Oxford University – AstraZeneca’s candidate in the Covid-19 vaccine race. However, recently the Serum Institute of India halted its clinical trials. This came after a notice issued by the central drug regulator.
The institute had said that they were not facing any issues in trials on Wednesday. On the other hand, AstraZeneca has faced some issues during the trials in the United Kingdom (UK) recently. As a result, the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) issued a notice late on Wednesday. The body asked the vaccine manufacturer why it hasn’t informed about the issues in the UK.
The Pune – based company then informed that they are reviewing the situation. In addition to this, they confirmed that the pause will continue till AstraZeneca restarts the trials. They said that they will be following the instructions provided by the DCGI.
Serum Institute of India is funding the mid and late-stage human trials for this vaccinate candidate in India. The name of the vaccine candidate is Covishield.
The problem in the UK?
Global pharma major AstraZeneca announced on Tuesday that the clinical trials will be temporarily halted. The media was informed that a participant in the study developed an “unexplained illness”. Researchers will be allowed some time with this step. This will be crucial to ensure safety and maintain the integrity of the trials.
Oxford – AstraZeneca worldwide trials
AstraZeneca and Oxford University contracted the Pune based firm, which is the world’s largest manufacturer of vaccines. This is to manufacture the vaccine for low and middle-income countries.
The phase 2/3 trials of the candidate have been ongoing in the UK since the end of May. AstraZeneca announced that the centres were recruiting up to 30,000 participants for the third phase trials in the United States. The company has planned to expand into Japan and Russia for the early to mid-stage trials. While late-stage trials are continuing in South Africa and Brazil.
Conclusion
The coronavirus pandemic has severely impacted lives globally. As a result, the world is participating in the vaccine race. Countries like the United States want to release the vaccine soon considering their upcoming elections. Moreover, it will be important to note the impact of this pause of a major vaccine candidate.
