New Delhi: The suspension of a potential vaccine by UK-based AstraZeneca has raised concerns among the scientific fraternity and some of them on Thursday reiterated against rushing into the key human trials as a bad vaccine will only multiply the suffering humanity is currently going through.
Nearly four decades and 32 million deaths later, the world is still waiting for an HIV vaccine. An effective vaccine for dengue fever, which infects as many as 400,000 people a year according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), has eluded scientists for decades.
A clinical trial for an HIV vaccine was discontinued early this year since the vaccine was not found to prevent infections of human immunodeficiency virus, the virus that causes AIDS.
According to health experts, researchers must not break defined guidelines and processes involved in developing a vaccine, as finding shortcuts may do more harm than good in the long run.
In India, the Serum Institute of India (SII) is the partner of the University of Oxford’s Jenner Institute to conduct vaccine trials. SII is currently progressing with the second and third phase study of the vaccine candidate at 17 trial sites across the country.
“Although the Serum Institute of India has said they have not faced issues yet. But it remains a cause for concern and until investigations are completed the trial should be paused here (in India) as well,” Dr Jyoti Mutta, Senior Consultant, Microbiology, Sri Balaji Action Medical Institute, told IANS.
“AstraZeneca is vigilant and responsible enough to immediately notify and pause the trial. Yes vaccine trials normally take a few years to determine the safety and efficacy before they are released in the market. This experience only shows that we should not rush trials and all precautions need to be followed,” Mutta cautioned.
According to Dr Navin Kumar, HOD, Lab Services, Consultant Clinical Microbiology and Infection Control (Laboratory Medicine), HCMCT Manipal Hospitals, New Delhi, the AstraZeneca trial halt should be a cause of concern and requires investigations.
“But it also shows that the research team is observing high conduct of safety and efficacy,” Kumar told IANS.
