AstraZeneca's suspension of global trials of its coronavirus vaccine dubbed AZD1222 triggered a 2 percent drop in its shares in London and a 12 plunge in the stock price of its Indian unit, AstraZeneca Pharma India Ltd.
The company is developing the AZD1222 vaccine with the University of Oxford.
The suspension, which dimmed the company's prospect of an early rollout, was necessary to review safety data after an unexplained illness in a participant.
AstraZeneca said that the suspension was routine every time there is a potentially unexplained illness in the trials.
The company is working to expedite the review to minimize any potential impact on the trial timeline.
The decision on restarting the trial will be taken by the medical regulator, the MHRA, that would take only days.
According to a New York Times report, citing a person familiar with the situation, the UK-based participant was found to have transverse myelitis, an inflammation that affects the spinal cord and is often sparked by viral infections.
Whether the condition was directly linked to AZD1222 remains unclear.
The AZD1222 has been described by the World Health Organization (WHO) as probably the world’s leading and the most advanced vaccine.
The vaccine is in late-stage clinical trials in the US, the UK, Brazil, and South Africa.
Additional trials are planned in Russia and Japan, targetting up to 50,000 participants globally.
The participant's reaction to AZD1222 has impacted clinical trials by other vaccine makers, which are on the lookout for similar reactions.


Meta Raises 2026 Capex Outlook Amid AI Spending Surge, Shares Drop After Earnings
WuXi AppTec Stock Surges on Strong Q1 Earnings and CRDMO Demand Growth
Berkshire Hathaway Q1 Earnings Jump 18% as Greg Abel Signals Disciplined Growth Strategy
Microsoft Azure Growth Forecast Beats Expectations Amid Rising AI Competition
TSMC Exits Arm Holdings with $231 Million Share Sale Amid Strategic Portfolio Shift
Google Secures Pentagon AI Deal for Classified Projects
Supreme Court Asked to Reinstate Mail-Order Access to Abortion Pill Mifepristone
Seagate Stock Surges After Strong Q3 Earnings Beat and Bullish Outlook
Apple Q2 2026 Earnings Surge as iPhone 17 Sales Drive Record Revenue
U.S. Cybersecurity Pushes Faster Patch Deadlines Amid Rising AI-Driven Threats
Samsung Reports Record Profit as AI Boom Drives Memory Chip Demand
Novartis Q1 2026 Earnings Miss Expectations as Generic Competition Pressures Sales
Starbucks Raises 2026 Outlook as Turnaround Strategy Boosts Sales and Earnings
Robinhood Q1 Earnings Miss Expectations, Stock Drops After Hours
Alphabet Earnings Surge on AI Growth, Cloud Revenue, and Strong Search Performance
AstraZeneca Q1 2026 Earnings Surge on Strong Oncology and Rare Disease Drug Sales
Why Paycom Was Named a 2026 Platinum Employer on the Where You Work Matters List 



