Britain's medical regulator says urgently reviewing AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine trial data

In an email, director of licensing at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) Siu Ping Lam said the regulator is working with the Oxford Vaccine Centre to review the safety data, in line with protocol for the trial. "We are urgently reviewing all the information and actively engaging with the researchers to determine whether the trial should restart as quickly as possible," he said. AstraZeneca is developing the potential vaccine with the University of Oxford.

Britain's medical regulator said on Wednesday it is urgently reviewing information available to determine whether AstraZeneca can restart trials of its experimental coronavirus vaccine after an unexplained illness in a participant. In an email, director of licensing at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) Siu Ping Lam said the regulator is working with the Oxford Vaccine Centre to review the safety data, in line with protocol for the trial.

"We are urgently reviewing all the information and actively engaging with the researchers to determine whether the trial should restart as quickly as possible," he said. Participant safety in any clinical trial is a top priority, he said. AstraZeneca is developing the potential vaccine with the University of Oxford.