What Went Wrong with AstraZeneca's Vaccine Trial? CEO Only Shares Details with Investors

As the world races to find a COVID-19 vaccine, one of the most promising vaccine trials has hit a major roadblock.

AstraZeneca paused its Phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine trial after a woman in the trial developed severe neurological symptoms consistent with transverse myelitis, or inflammation of the spinal cord.

Details were only revealed during a CEO call with investors, and "everyone was left to guess what went wrong," writes Ed Silverman, senior writer at the health news site STAT, which broke the story.

Silverman says the halting of the U.K. trial raises several issues, including whether pharmaceutical companies are being pushed to move faster than is safe. "Is the FDA being pushed to authorize or approve a vaccine faster than it should?"

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