China's coronavirus vaccine trials suspended in Brazil over 'severe incident'

10-Nov-2020

Brazil has suspended the clinical trials for China's Sinovac coronavirus vaccine in the country citing a "severe adverse event". This has surprised the trial organisers who countered that there had been a death but it was unrelated to China's coronavirus vaccine.
Anvisa, Brazil's health regulator which suspended China's coronavirus vaccine, said the 'severe incident' took place on October 29. It, however, did not say if the 'severe incident' due to China's coronavirus vaccine took place in Brazil or in another country. The health regulator also did not give an indication of how long the suspension of the large late-stage trial of China's Sinovac coronavirus vaccine might last in Brazil. Dimas Covas, the head of Sao Paulo's medical research institute Butantan which is conducting the trial said the decision was related to a death but added he found the regulator's announcement strange "because it's a death unrelated to the vaccine." "As there are more than 10,000 volunteers at this moment, deaths can occur, It's a death that has no relation with the vaccine and as such it is not the moment to interrupt the trials," Covas was quoted as saying by Reuters. Sinovac has not immediately responded to the suspension of the clinical trials of China's coronavirus vaccine in Brazil. The Sinovac coronavirus vaccine had earlier been criticised by Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro who has dismissed it as lacking credibility. Jair Bolsonaro, who regularly expresses anti-Chinese sentiment, has previously said the federal government will not buy the vaccine. It is not uncommon for clinical trials to be suspended temporarily after a volunteer takes ill so that trial organisers can check whether the effects is related to the vaccine against Covid-19 infection being tested. Sinovac's coronavirus vaccine is among the three experimental Covid-19 vaccines that China has been using under an emergency use programme.