Vaccine trial halted after volunteer becomes ill
ANOTHER coronavirus vaccine trial has been put on hold following an unexplained illness in one of its volunteers.
US firm Johnson & Johnson announced yesterday that the trial had been paused pending a safety review.
It comes around a month after trials of the vaccine developed by Oxford University were also halted, after a volunteer in the UK fell ill with ‘unexplained neurological symptoms’.
That trial has subsequently restarted, although not yet in the US. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine uses a virus as a ‘Trojan horse’ to deliver genetic code which triggers cells to recognise coronavirus and fight it.
The UK Government has struck a deal to get 30million doses, and it is hoped to be available by early 2021.
Experts say it is not unusual for vaccine trials to be put on hold. Danny Altmann, of Imperial College London, said: ‘I think we’re noting these vaccine trial pauses more than usual because we’re unused to shining such a spotlight on trials.
‘So while it wouldn’t normally be thought strange to pause for investigation of an adverse event, here under the intense scrutiny we get alarmed.’
In a statement, Johnson & Johnson said: ‘The participant’s illness is being reviewed and evaluated by the independent Data Safety Monitoring Board as well as our internal clinical and safety physicians.’ There will be a careful review of all of the medical information before deciding whether to restart the study.
No details of the person who fell ill are being made public.
Stephen Evans, of London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: ‘In most instances, single adverse events are coincidental, especially when including large numbers of participants.’