Oxford University vaccine trials to resume

By Karim El-Bar

LONDON (AA) - Trials of a coronavirus vaccine being developed by Oxford University and British drug manufacturer AstraZeneca will resume after being paused, they said in a statement on Saturday.

The trials had been paused last week after a participant fell ill.

According to the vaccine partners, the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said trials could resume, after a committee of theirs inspected safety data.

Oxford University said in a statement: “Globally some 18,000 individuals have received study vaccines as part of the trial. In large trials such as this, it is expected that some participants will become unwell and every case must be carefully evaluated to ensure careful assessment of safety.”

AstraZeneca said in a statement: “The UK committee has concluded its investigations and recommended to the MHRA that trials in the UK are safe to resume.”