Johnson & Johnson has paused clinical trials of its experimental coronavirus vaccine over “an unexplained illness” in one of the study’s participants, the company announced Monday.
“We have temporarily paused further dosing in all our COVID-19 vaccine candidate clinical trials, including the Phase 3 ENSEMBLE trial, due to an unexplained illness in a study participant,” the company wrote in a statement.
The company did not disclose any details about the reported illness, but said the participant is being evaluated by an internal monitoring board and physicians.
“We must respect this participant’s privacy. We’re also learning more about this participant’s illness, and it’s important to have all the facts before we share additional information,” Johnson & Johnson wrote.
The study pause was first reported by Stat News.
The company said in its statement that illnesses during clinical trials are not uncommon.
“Adverse events – illnesses, accidents, etc. – even those that are serious, are an expected part of any clinical study, especially large studies.”
