AstraZeneca's (AZN.L) share price continues to remain under pressure after it was reported that a trial of its COVID-19 vaccine on children has been halted until there is more clarity from regulators about the jab's possible link with rare blood clots in adults.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) will hold a briefing on Wednesday afternoon to discuss its decision on the issue.
The company's stock was down 0.5% on Wednesday.
Speaking to The Telegraph, senior government adviser Dr Maggie Wearmouth said the rollout for younger people should be paused until regulators issue clear guidance on its safety. She said slowing down the rollout may be crucial to maintain public trust and confidence.
Professor Andrew Pollard from the University of Oxford told the BBC that although "there are no safety concerns in the paediatric clinical trial, we await additional information from the MHRA on its review of rare cases of thrombosis/thrombocytopaenia that have been reported in adults, before giving any further vaccinations in the trial."
More than 31 million people in the UK have already had a first vaccine dose and more than 5 million people have received their second jab. These are either AstraZeneca or Pfizer (PFE).
Tthe UK has purchased 17 million doses of the Moderna (MRNA) jab, enough for 8.5 million people. Rollout of the vaccine has begun in Wales on Wednesday and it is expected in England in the next few days.
Earlier, the EMA had said the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine in preventing COVID-19 outweigh the risks of side effects. But more recently, a senior official at the agency said it did find there was a link between the vaccine and very rare blood clots in the brain.
WATCH: Oxford pauses UK trial for COVID-19 vaccine on children
“In my opinion, we can now say it, it is clear that there is an association (of the brain blood clots) with the vaccine. However, we still do not know what causes this reaction,” Marco Cavaleri, chair of the vaccine evaulation team at the EMA, told Italian daily Il Messagero.
However, the EMA has said it is still reviewing this and will hold a briefing on the jab's link to blood clots.
READ MORE: Business chiefs call for decisive action on UK COVID passports
"At present the review has not identified any specific risk factors, such as age, gender or a previous medical history of clotting disorders, for these very rare events. A causal link with the vaccine is not proven, but is possible and further analysis is continuing," it said.
Meanwhile, AstraZeneca's woes continue.
The Netherlands became the latest country to pause rollout of the AstraZeneca jab over the weekend amid concerns about possible blood clotting complications and reports claim regulators were considering blocking the vaccine for under-30s, amid blood clot concerns.
Last week, some cities in Germany temporarily halted the vaccine for people under the age of 60, while Canada has suspended its use for those under 55.
And the company’s ties with the EU have also been strained: the European Commission has blamed pharmaceutical companies — primarily AstraZeneca — for not delivering the promised doses to the EU.
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AstraZeneca stock under pressure ahead of European Medicines Agency briefing on COVID vaccine - Yahoo Finance
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