AstraZeneca said it paused its COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial on Wednesday to children and teens as they wait for more data on rare blood clotting. AstraZeneca is one of the leading pharmaceutical companies that developed a cure to end the COVID-19 pandemic. At present, many countries have been using the AstraZeneca vaccine in an attempt to achieve herd immunity.
AstraZeneca Pauses Clinical Trial in Children and Teens
According to a recently published article on Reuters, the University of Oxford announced on Wednesday that it decided to pause its small clinical trial to children and teens in the United Kingdom.
The report said that the decision was made as the University and the pharmaceutical company await more data on rare blood clotting on those who received the first shot of their vaccine. In a recently published article on Inquirer, the trial disruption is the latest issue of the vaccine.
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Oxford University Claims No Safety Concerns
The Oxford University claimed no pediatric safety concerns during the pediatric clinical trial of its COVID-19 vaccine. However, they paused the vaccination in children and teens while waiting for United Kingdom's drug watchdog before continuing its vaccinations.
Meanwhile, several countries already decided to restrict and stop using AstraZeneca's vaccine after different reports of its side effects surfaced. The European drug regulator described the blood clotting as a very rare side effect, according to a published report on BBC News.
It can be remembered that the Oxford University planned to have a clinical trial for children and teens age 6 to 17 in the United Kingdom. They were supposed to enroll 300 volunteers, but the trial did not happen due to reports of the vaccine's side effects.
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European Medicines Agency Reviews the Report
At present, the European Medicines Agency reviews the different reports of rare blood clotting, which is known as cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST). It happens after the first shot of AstraZeneca.
The agency is expected to give the results of its review on Wednesday or Thursday. Meanwhile, a senior official from the EMA said that there is no clear association between AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine and the CVST. But the official also said that the origin or the direct cause of the clot remains unknown.
The World Health Organization, which, together with other authorities, is closely reviewing the latest evidence on AstraZeneca's vaccine, said on Tuesday that it saw no need to alter its conclusion that the shot's advantages outweigh any dangers.
Additionally, the WHO's advisory vaccine protection panel said on Wednesday that while a blood clot correlation was "possible," it was "not proven," and the cases were "very unlikely" among the 200 million people who had received AstraZeneca vaccines around the world.
On the other hand, even if AstraZeneca's vaccine receives regulatory clearance, top U.S. infectious disease doctor Anthony Fauci told Reuters last week that the U.S. may not need the AstraZeneca vaccine. This could also be one of the factors that AstraZeneca may not get full approval from the U.S. FDA.
