The Indian company joining to manufacture a billion doses of AstraZeneca Plc’s experimental Covid-19 even after vaccine is ceasing its own clinical trial.
After declaring it before, push ahead despite safety concerns forcing the British drugmaker to halt its tests.
The Serum Institute of India (SII) paused its Indian Trials immediately after getting notice from the Drug Controller General of India.
The Drug Controller General of India had given notice after seeking information on Astra’s bad response in Britain. As per the reports of Press Trust of India (PTI), Drug Regulatory body asked Serum Institute to prove and demonstrate why its clinical trial license should not be suspended.
Serum Institute of India said, “We are reviewing the situation and pausing India trials till AstraZeneca restarts the trials.We are following DCGI’s instructions and will not be able to comment further on trials.”
The episode of failure of vaccine is proving a distressing reminder of the challenges of stable speed with caution in the race for a vaccine, particularly in worst hit countries like India.
In India where Coronavirus outbreak is likely to surpass the U.S. as the world’s worst-hit.
Serum Institute to Test Vaccine on humans
This is shocking.
AstraZeneca has halted its COVID-19 vaccine human trials pending investigation after a patient was found suffering spinal cord issues.
However, the Serum Institute of India is still going ahead with human trials of AstraZeneca vaccine. https://t.co/IrhoCe58qD
— Saket Gokhale (@SaketGokhale) September 10, 2020
Serum Institute wanted to get assured even after Astra Zeneca’s full Investigation because people in India are medically illiterate and living in poverty so less able to gauge the risk of vaccine trials.
U.S. National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins told a Senate committee Wednesday, “AstraZeneca’s trial halts due to a “spinal cord problem.” If AstraZeneca’s review finds the adverse event is related to the vaccine, all the doses already manufactured will be thrown away.”
Serum said it could not comment on the pause in Astra’s trials.
