US National Institutes of Health: "AstraZeneca Vaccine to Be Fully Disposed If Linked to Side Effects" (Update)

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that if the side effects reported in the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, which had its clinical trials temporarily halted due to serious adverse events, are found to be related to the vaccine, all doses will be discarded.

According to foreign media including Bloomberg, on the 9th (local time), Francis Collins, director of the NIH, attended the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee and stated, "The serious side effect observed in the AstraZeneca vaccine clinical trial conducted in the UK is transverse myelitis, an inflammation of the spinal cord," adding, "If the review concludes that the side effect is related to the vaccine, all manufactured doses will be discarded."

The U.S. government had pre-ordered 300 million doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine under the 'Operation Warp Speed' announced earlier by President Donald Trump. AstraZeneca's vaccine was expected to be available as early as October, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sent letters to governors of each state advising them to prepare for vaccination by late October or early November.

Earlier, AstraZeneca announced the full suspension of ongoing clinical trials due to serious adverse events reported the previous day, but did not specify the exact symptoms or causes of the side effects, stating that investigations are ongoing. AstraZeneca is conducting Phase 3 clinical trials involving approximately 50,000 participants worldwide, including in the UK and the U.S. AstraZeneca's vaccine has been anticipated as a frontrunner among global COVID-19 vaccines. There are concerns that if the side effects are confirmed to be caused by the vaccine, public trust in the vaccine could be severely shaken.

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