AstraZeneca begins final-stage trial of Covid-19 vaccine in US, 30,000 adults to test shot

AstraZeneca Plc has begun a large-scale human trial of its coronavirus vaccine in United States, company said in a statement. UK based pharmaceutical giant plans to enroll as many as 30,000 ults at 80 sites in US to test shot. 

AstraZeneca shot is one of leers in race to develop Covid-19 vaccine, developed by researchers at University of Oxford. In dition to U.S. trial, a final-st test of iculation is underway in U.K. and could produce preliminary results as soon as next month. Or companies that have Covid-19 vaccines in phase 3 trials include Moderna Inc. and Pfizer Inc.

phase 3 trial is being implemented as part of Operation Warp Speed in US, which aims to deliver 300 million doses of a safe, effective vaccine for COVID-19 by January 2021.

RE | Ailing Kesha on edge as Trump visit looms amid tensions

RE | Trump won't meet with Blake's family on Wis. trip

Trial delayed for several days

According to researchers from University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, who are helping conduct tests, trial h been delayed for several days.  university is one of sites where trial is being run and plans to begin injecting healthy volunteers on Tuesday, according to William Hartman, a UW Health anessiologist and investigator on trial. By next week that is after September 7  university plans to ramp up to injecting 50 people a day, Hartman said in an interview.

U.S. trial of AstraZeneca vaccine was put on hold due to political pressure, possibly because U.S. regulators planned to grant an emergency use authorization on basis of trial in Europe, according to a media report.

RE | Guilty plea in Hawaii woman's lobbying of Trump officials

As per reports, AstraZeneca alrey has deals in place with countries to make more than two billion doses of its Covid-19 vaccine, which is being developed in collaboration with University of Oxford.  company also said that its Covid-19 vaccine could be approved by end of this year. company has been busy working on vaccine and has received huge funds from government, signed several supply deals, and was even subject of a mega-merger speculation, according to international media reports.

RE | Trump mulls fast-tracking AstraZeneca vaccine development before US elections