AstraZeneca’s Shares Drop 1.5% After Death of COVID-19 Vaccine Trial Volunteer

10:48 GMT, 22 October 2020

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Shares of AstraZeneca, a UK-Swedish pharmaceutical company, fell by 1.5 percent on the London Stock Exchange on Thursday, after a previous day decline by 1.8 percent amid reports that a Brazilian volunteer in a clinical trial of the COVID-19 vaccine had died.

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At 07:24 GMT Thursday, AstraZeneca’s shares dipped 1.5 percent to 78.01 pounds. On Wednesday, its stocks shed 1.8 percent.

The National Health Surveillance Agency of Brazil (Anvisa) reported on Wednesday the death of a Brazilian volunteer who participated in the trials of COVID-19 vaccine, which was developed by the University of Oxford and the AstraZeneca laboratory, saying that the cause of death was not disclosed for reasons of ethics and confidentiality.

AstraZeneca company did not give an official comment on this case. The International Evaluation and Security Committee, which supervised the trial, has recommended its continuation.

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According to media reports, the death of the Brazilian volunteer was not caused by the trial as he had received a placebo, not a vaccine itself. The volunteer was reportedly a 28-year-old doctor, who died as a result of complications caused by COVID-19.

AstraZeneca company is one of the leaders in the COVID-19 vaccine race. AstraZeneca’s vaccine passed two of three phases of its vaccine trial. The third phase is currently being conducted in the United Kingdom, Brazil and India.