The latest delay for AstraZeneca’s vaccine in the U.S. doesn’t necessarily come as a surprise. A report in April suggested the company might bypass an emergency clearance since the Food and Drug Administration was closely scrutinizing data from multiple large trials as well as real-world use.
Nonetheless, the company’s admission is the latest chapter in what’s become a long-running saga. Once a frontrunner in the U.S. and a recipient of one of the largest supply contracts for the Operation Warp Speed coronavirus vaccine initiative, AstraZeneca’s progress has slowed due to a lengthy trial halt and multiple setbacks abroad, among them a link between its vaccine and a very rare side effect that temporarily stymied the shot’s rollout in several European countries.
