WHO says safety 'first & foremost' after AstraZeneca suspends vaccine trials

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on September 9 said that the top priority remains the "safety" and "efficacy" of a potential COVID-19 vaccine after frontrunner AstraZeneca halted the trial of its drug on Wednesday due to concerns of side effects. WHO chief scientist Dr. Soumya Swaminathan during a live Q&A session said that the safety of COVID-19 drug comes "first and foremost" and then efficacy. 

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Swaminathan said that just because speed and scale are being talked about more often it doesn't mean we start compromising or start cutting corners while developing a COVID-19 drug. The process still has to be followed, particularly in drugs and vaccines which are given to people to save lives, she added. Swaminathan did not directly mention AstraZeneca's latest decision to pause large-scale trials while answering a question on long-term side-effects if the development process is fast-tracked or scaled-up. 

Read: AstraZeneca Puts Its COVID-19 Vaccine Trial On Hold After Patient In UK Falls Ill

AstraZeneca, which is developing a COVID-19 vaccine in partnership with Oxford University announced that it has paused its vaccine trial after a patient volunteering for the study fell ill. The company said it is still trying to investigate whether the sudden illness of a candidate in the UK is a serious side-effect of the vaccine. 

Read: Australia ‘not Worried’ As AstraZeneca Pauses COVID-19 Vaccine Trial Over Safety Concerns

Nearly 170 vaccines under development 

AstraZeneca's vaccine named AZD1222 was previously dubbed by the WHO as the frontrunner and one at the most advanced stage of clinical trials. There are currently over 169 COVID-19 vaccine candidates under development, with 26 of these in the human trial phase. WHO is working in collaboration with scientists, business, and global health organizations through the ACT Accelerator to speed up the pandemic response and save as many lives as possible.

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