AstraZeneca's US trial could remain on hold

AstraZeneca's US trial could remain on hold through midweek, and possibly longer, pending a US probe, Reuters reports.

• The trial in the US remains on hold as US regulators probe serious UK side effect.

Market implications

Markets have recovered fro the knee-jerk risk-off reaction last week.

Meanwhile, the UK trial of a leading coronavirus vaccine, which was abruptly halted last week because of safety concerns, restarted on Saturday after the university conducting the trial said an independent committee found that it was safe to do so.

The University of Oxford and pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca paused enrolment in the global trials of their vaccine candidate on 6 September, after a person participating in the UK trial experienced an adverse reaction.

Scientists say that a pause is not uncommon in large trials, and that a speedy resumption of testing was expected.

The episode shows that care is being taken with the trial, they say.