Johnson & Johnson pauses vaccine trial
Johnson & Johnson announced Monday night that it is pausing its coronavirus vaccine trial after one of its study participants came down with an "unexplained illness." It's not clear if the patient received the vaccine itself or a placebo shot.
The pharmaceutical company is currently in the Phase 3 stage of its trials, in a study the company calls ENSEMBLE.
"Following our guidelines, the participant’s illness is being reviewed and evaluated by the ENSEMBLE independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) as well as our internal clinical and safety physicians," the company said in a statement.
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The company added that "adverse events -- illnesses, accidents, etc. -- even those that are serious, are an expected part of any clinical study."
Johnson & Johnson said it is working to gather more facts about the situation before it shares more information with the public.
According to the World Health Organization, there are 10 vaccines currently in late-stage Phase 3 trials.