09/09/2020 - 9:23
Clarín.com
Society
The Swedish-British laboratory
AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford
announced on Tuesday the interruption of phase 3 of the trials of its coronavirus vaccine after a volunteer from the United Kingdom showed an "unexpected reaction" that caused an
"adverse effect. serious".
According to British media, the participant received a diagnosis of
transverse myelitis
, an inflammatory syndrome that affects the spinal cord and is usually caused by viral infections.
However, the timing of this diagnosis and whether or not it was related to the AstraZeneca vaccine is still unknown.
"Transverse myelitis can be the result of a number of causes that trigger the body's inflammatory responses, including viral infections," Dr. Gabriella Garcia, a neurologist at Yale New Haven Hospital, explained to the
New York Times
.
The condition, he added, "can be treated with steroids."
For its part, AstraZeneca declined to comment on the participant's origin and
did not confirm the diagnosis of transverse myelitis
.
"The event is being investigated by an independent committee and it is too early to conclude the specific diagnosis," they assured from the company.
Meanwhile, the British Health Minister, Matt Hancock, said on Wednesday that the suspension of the trial is "
a normal process while the problem is investigated
" and said that this "pause is not necessarily a setback."
"We will not present a vaccine unless it is safe to use," Hancock said, while maintaining that this is not the first time this has happened with the Oxford vaccine.
When asked if the suspension would delay attempts to find a coronavirus vaccine, he said "not necessarily."
"It depends on what they find when they do the investigation," he added.
According to the minister, the investigation process could take between three and four weeks and
the vaccine will not be ready until early next year
.
The vaccine in question is the one that the national government announced that it
will be produced in Argentina
for distribution throughout Latin America, except Brazil.
It will cost $ 4 and will be the cheapest on the market, because it will be sold at cost.
The production is in charge of the Mabxience laboratory, of Garín, belonging to the Insud Group, of the businessman Hugo Sigman.
JPE