AstraZeneca Temporarily Halts Global Phase Three Coronavirus Vaccine Trials

Days after entering phase three, AstraZeneca has paused their global coronavirus vaccine trials. The potential drug is currently being called the Oxford Vaccine since it was developed in partnership with Britain’s University of Oxford. It’s being tested in the U.S., The UK, Latin America, Asia, Europe and Africa. The drug giant said they halted testing after a volunteer developed an unexplained illness. But they said not to worry, it’s simply standard safety procedure. They expect the trial to resume once the incident has been fully investigated. Yesterday, AstraZeneca signed a pledge alongside eight other companies stating they would work to produce a safe vaccine and not seek premature approval from a government before being able to provide adequate data proving the vaccine’s effectiveness. The other companies participating in upholding these “high ethical standards” include BioNTech, Moderna, Pfizer, Novavax, Sanofi, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson and Merck.