AstraZeneca pauses coronavirus vaccine trial, rollout doubts dent shares
AstraZeneca has paused global trials of its experimental coronavirus vaccine after an unexplained illness in a participant, denting the British drugmaker’s shares on Wednesday as the move was seen as dimming prospects for an early rollout. On Tuesday, AstraZeneca said it voluntarily paused trials, including late-stage ones, to allow an independent committee to review safety data, and it was working to expedite the review to minimise any potential impact on the trial timeline. The vaccine, which AstraZeneca is developing with the University of Oxford, has been described by the World Health Organization (WHO) as probably the world’s leading candidate and the most advanced in terms of development. “It is obviously a challenge to this particular vaccine trial,” Britain’s Health Secretary Matt Hancock told Sky News, adding: “It’s not actually the first time this has happened to the Oxford vaccine”. The trial’s suspension triggered a 2% fall in AstraZeneca’s shares in London and a 12% dro...