ASTRAZENECA VACCINE TRIAL PUT ON HOLD AFTER A PARTICIPANT HAS A SUSPECTED 'SERIOUS AND ADVERSE' REACTION TO ONE OF THE LEADING CANDIDATES

Oxford and AstraZeneca have put their trial of the leading vaccine shot candidate on hold after a participant in the trial is suspected have having what has been described as a 'serious' reaction.

The development has apparently occurred during the phase 3 trials for what was looking promising to be the lead candidate out of nine which are being developed and tested in an attempt to combat the Coronavirus.

It is currently unclear as to how the reaction occurred but it is believed to have led to the hospitalisation of one of the participants, although it is thought that the person will recover.

It is not an uncommon practice to put trials on hold but it will come as a blow as hopes are pinned on the vaccine being viable for use in order to be deployed to combat Covid-19.

The data is to be assessed and the results of an investigation may allow the trial to proceed in the near future.

Meanwhile, shares in the company have plummeted following the news as market confidence has been shaken.

The vaccine has been developed at an unprecedented pace and the usual time frame between concept and roll out can be as long as a decade or more.

The Oxford candidate had been widely tipped to be the first fully approved vaccine to be put into production.

Although a setback, there are other vaccine candidates in trials which show promise.