Chinese COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate's Final-Stage Trial Halted In Brazil After 'Serious Adverse Event'

In a major setback for a potential Chinese COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by Sinovac Biotech Limited, the vaccine's final-stage trial has been halted in Brazil due to a serious adverse event, reports Hindustan Times.

The adverse event occurred on 29 October and marks the first such instance when one of the Chinese vaccines has met with a setback. Meanwhile, Brazilian health Agency has not given out any further details of the illness caused by the vaccine candidate, called Coronavac.

The Agency is now evaluating if it should continue with the study.

While such adverse events during drug trials could include death, immediate risk of death, long term or serious health implications or hospitalisation, it should be noted that such events are not uncommon in large-scale drug trials.

Recently, AstraZeneca Plc and Johnson & Johnson had also paused their vaccine trials due to serious adverse events, only to re-start them after investigation.

However, in China's case, the nation has already begun administering the vaccines, including the Coronavac, to hundreds of thousands of people, causing worry.