Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine trial paused due to 'unexplained illness'
Johnson & Johnson on Monday night announced that it has paused its COVID-19 vaccine trial due to one of the volunteers coming down with an "unexplained illness."
In a statement, Johnson & Johnson said that under its guidelines, the "participant's illness is being reviewed and evaluated" by the study's independent data safety monitoring board (DSMB), as well as internal clinical and safety physicians. The company also said that "adverse events — illnesses, accidents, etc. — even those that are serious, are an expected part of any clinical study, especially large studies."
Johnson & Johnson's vaccine arm, Janssen, began the Phase 3 clinical trial in September. There are 60,000 participants, and each person is receiving one dose of the vaccine. Advanced clinical trials are conducted so researchers can determine whether participants are experiencing side effects, and Johnson & Johnson said it is not revealing what illness the volunteer has due to privacy reasons.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, told CNN that the pause is "completely expected" due to how large the study is, and this is "just a reminder how ridiculous it is to try and meet a political timeline of having a vaccine before Nov. 3." Jha added that it is important for the vaccine to be "safe and we've got to let the process play out and it's going to take a while. To me, it's reassuring that companies are acting responsibly and pausing when they need to."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Today's political cartoons - December 22, 2024
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - the long and short of it, trigger finger, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 hilariously spirited cartoons about the spirit of Christmas
Cartoons Artists take on excuses, pardons, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Inside the house of Assad
The Explainer Bashar al-Assad and his father, Hafez, ruled Syria for more than half a century but how did one family achieve and maintain power?
By The Week UK Published
-
Judges block $25B Kroger-Albertsons merger
Speed Read The proposed merger between the supermarket giants was stalled when judges overseeing two separate cases blocked the deal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Rupert Murdoch loses 'Succession' court battle
Speed Read Murdoch wanted to give full control of his empire to son Lachlan, ensuring Fox News' right-wing editorial slant
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Bitcoin surges above $100k in post-election rally
Speed Read Investors are betting that the incoming Trump administration will embrace crypto
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Enron mystery: 'sick joke' or serious revival?
Speed Read 23 years after its bankruptcy filing, the Texas energy firm has announced its resurrection
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US charges Indian tycoon with bribery, fraud
Speed Read Indian billionaire Gautam Adani has been indicted by US prosecutors for his role in a $265 million scheme to secure solar energy deals
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Boeing machinists approve contract, end strike
Speed Read The company's largest union approved the new contract offer, ending a seven-week strike
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US economy still strong in final preelection report
Speed Read It grew at a solid 2.8% annual rate from July through September
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Boeing machinists reject deal, continue strike
Speed Read The rejection came the same day Boeing reported a $6.2 billion quarterly loss
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published