Oxford vaccine trial on hold for safety issues

(KYMA, KECY)-Drugmaker AstraZeneca says, as of Tuesday, the clinical trials for a coronavirus vaccine are on hold.

"Our standard review process was triggered and we voluntarily paused vaccination to allow review of safety data by an independent committee," the company said in a statement. "This is a routine action which has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness in one of the trials, while it is investigated, ensuring we maintain the integrity of the trials."

The statement continued: "In large trials illnesses will happen by chance but must be independently reviewed to check this carefully. We are working to expedite the review of the single event to minimize any potential impact on the trial timeline. We are committed to the safety of our participants and the highest standards of conduct in our trials."

As of last week, the clinical trials were on phase 3. However the pause of the vaccine affects trial sites in the U.S.

One doctor says putting a hold on a vaccine is not uncommon, stating "reactions do occur in vaccine trials."

The Oxford trial was the third phase 3 trial to begin in the U.S. Pfizer and Moderna began their phase 3 trials in late July and have already enrolled about 30,000 volunteers.

Moderna said that it's not aware of any effect of the Oxford pause on its own phase 3 trial.

The Oxford vaccine uses a type of virus called an adenovirus to teach the immune system how to make antibodies to attack the coronavirus' so-called spike protein. It's that spike protein that allows the virus to infect human cells.