AstraZeneca down after report that Covid-19 vaccine is put on hold

AstraZeneca shares fell more than 6% in after-hours trading Tuesday after the company said its late-stage trial for a potential coronavirus vaccine had been put on hold due to safety concerns.

“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. In large trials illnesses will happen by chance but must be independently reviewed to check this carefully,” the company said in a statement to CNBC.

It said it was trying to expedite the review 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,” the company said.

A person familiar with the development said researchers were told the hold was placed on the trial out of “an abundance of caution” after a suspected serious adverse reaction in a participant in the United Kingdom, according to STAT News.

It’s unclear how long the hold on the trial will last. AstraZeneca began its trial late last month and is one of three companies currently in late-stage testing for a potential vaccine. The other two are Pfizer and Moderna, which both began their trials in late July.

The U.S. government announced May 21 that it would pay AstraZeneca up to $1.2 billion for its experimental vaccine developed alongside researchers at the University of Oxford. The U.S. will receive at least 300 million doses of the vaccine as part of its investment.


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[justjohnny]

when they lie they make money, when they tell the truth they loose

[bluntblock]

5%? Graph makes it look like the company went into free fall 😂

[daweisun]

Did they sell stocks before the news got out? SEC better look into this!

[JC-temd]

Don't worry, Russia will come to save the world one more time

[vietimports]

typical drug development is 10 years from pre-clinical trials to fda approval. imagine doing 10 years of development in 6 months and being surprised there are safety issues

[psboymo]

god, that the market is showing some weren't you guys pumping up individual stocks in the daily final trade sessions and you Tim, justifying tech stock rallies over the course of the months gone by?

[shopart]

Hey media this is standard phase 3. That’s why there is a phase 3. When you watch a TV drug commercial and they say this drug is the greatest, it’s sent from god. Then they end the commercial with if you pass out, have hives, diarrhea, blurred vision, sore throat stop taking it and immediately and call your doctor.Where do you think those scary words come from it’s called PHASE 3.

[brettconv]

Am I the only human that thinks companies making a life saving vaccine for a world wide pandemic doesn’t need to be a game on the stock market ?

[polishking]

26 people in hospital with suppose Bad reactions and 1 person dead. That's what was reported in Reuters.

[sistakia]

I'm sorry but there are times when the words "fast track" seems more like a danger than a comfort!

[kbatmama]

My uncle died from gion barre from a vaccine, the flu shot specifically. This thing is dangerous because its so rushed. This is terrifying

[barbarahenninger]

They called it a serious safety reaction, so I don't know if it's the same as a serious adverse reaction, but here's what Wikipedia calls a serious adverse reaction: A serious adverse event (SAE) in human drug trials is defined as any untoward medical occurrence that at any dose
results in death,
is life-threatening
requires inpatient hospitalization or causes prolongation of existing hospitalization
results in persistent or significant disability/incapacity,
may have caused a congenital anomaly/birth defect, or
requires intervention to prevent permanent impairment or damage.[1]
The term "life-threatening" in the definition of "serious" refers to an event in which the patient was at risk of death at the time of the event; it does not refer to an event which hypothetically might have caused death if it were more severe.[2] Adverse events are further defined as “Any untoward medical occurrence in a patient or clinical investigation subject administered a pharmaceutical product and which does not necessarily have to have a causal relationship with this treatment.”

[hoffbinder]

They’ve been sued before for fraud and poor safety studies. This reaction must have been huge, and not just one person.

[mikeb.]

The dog in the background is telling his broker to buy 500 shares...🐕📈

[skyak]

Maybe someone had a severe negative reaction to the placebo.

[minnehonk]

It’s all about stock price .. that is sick

[edferd]

Adverse reactions happen, that's why we have trials. Drama much? It'll be ready when it's ready, we all hope for sooner of course but be patient. 🇺🇸
This report sounds like the search for the last Golden ticket holder. 🤣

[SoftSpokenSpooks]

Snafu... You say? This whole year has been a snafu!

[SportZFanLfe]

Just call Putin and get this Economy back on track.

[TheJaimePowell]

*Rumor has it a person has Official story is it was stopped “due to a suspected serious adverse reaction in a participant"*