NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – A late-stage study of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate has been paused while the company investigates whether a study participant’s “unexplained illness” is related to the shot.
The company said in a statement Monday evening that illnesses, accidents and other so-called adverse events “are an expected part of any clinical study, especially large studies,” but that its physicians and a safety monitoring panel would try to determine what might have caused the illness.The pause is at least the second such hold to occur among several vaccines that have reached large-scale final tests in the U.S.The company declined to reveal any more details about the illness, citing the participant’s privacy.