American multinational health and drug company Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) slipped 1.50% on Tuesday afternoon after the coronavirus vaccine trial announced that participants had been forced to suspend due to an “unexplained illness” in the event.
The company says the volunteer’s illness is currently being assessed by independent regulators and is determining whether symptoms are vaccine-related. It is not yet known whether the patient received a real dose or a control placebo.
Until the review was conducted, Johnson & Johnson confirmed that as a precaution, the key phase III of clinical human trials had been completely stopped. Details of the patient’s condition are protected under a privacy agreement.
This is not the first setback for the coronavirus vaccine so far. Last month, the world-leading collaboration between Oxford University and AstraZeneca was forced to suspend its own clinical trials after participants developed neurological symptoms.
Regulators later considered proceeding with the trial safely, but not to take a heavy blow to hopefully develop an effective coronavirus vaccine would give it a smooth and quick ride.
Johnson & Johnson has issued a news statement and remains firmly argued over the details of the incident, releasing reminders that it is not necessarily uncommon for patients to be ill.
“Adverse events – illness, accidents, etc. – even serious ones are the expected portion of clinical research, especially large-scale research.
“We must respect this participant’s privacy and we are also learning more about this participant’s illness and it is important to have all the facts before sharing any additional information.”
Similar to the JAB proposed by Astrazeneca, Johnson & Johnson are using a modified cold virus to train the immune system to combat coronavirus infections.
With nearly 180 vaccines currently in development around the world, it is widely believed that easily available jabs for the general public will not be able to access very quickly until spring 2021.
Johnson & Johnson stock fell 1.50% to USD 149.58 on GMT 14:59 13/10/20, slightly down from yesterday’s peak at USD 153.14.
However, investors have achieved leaps and boundaries since their annual bottom of just 111.14 on March 20, 23, and have been relatively consistent within the boundaries of 140.00-157.00 since, so investors should not necessarily be embarrassed.
