AstraZeneca PLC (AZN)

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9:49 pm ET September 16, 2020 (Benzinga) Print
AstraZeneca Plc’s (NYSE: AZN) vaccine didn't likely cause the adverse events that suspended the late-stage human trials of the drug, according to Oxford University.

What Happened: Volunteers in the British drugmaker’s ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine trial developed unexplained neurological symptoms including changed sensation or weakness in limbs, according to a participant information document published by Oxford, which is co-developing the vaccine with AstraZeneca.

“After independent review, these illnesses were either considered unlikely to be associated with the vaccine or there was insufficient evidence to say for certain that the illnesses were or were not related to the vaccine,” Oxford said, as first reported by Reuters.

Independent reviewers recommended the vaccinations should continue after reviewing each of these cases, according to the document.

Why It Matters: AstraZeneca has resumed trials of the vaccine in the United Kingdom, India, South Africa, and Brazil.

Trials haven't yet resumed in the United States. The Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn said that his agency is “going to do very significant work with the company to figure out if there’s a significant safety issue or not.”