AstraZeneca begins coronavirus vaccine phase 3 clinical trials in US

US President Donald Trump has announced that the vaccine for coronavirus being developed by AstraZeneca has reached phase three clinical trials in the country and is very close to being finalised for approval. 

The phase 3 trial is being implemented as part of Operation Warp Speed, a multi-agency collaboration led by the US Health and Human Services, which aims at accelerating the development and manufacturing of medical counter­measures for Covid-19 and delivering 300 million doses of an effective vaccine by January 2021. 

“I am pleased to announce that AstraZeneca vaccine has reached phase three clinical trials,” Trump told reporters on Monday.  

Meanwhile, Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmace­uticals are suspending tests on using their rheumatoid arthritis medicine as a potential weapon against Covid-19 after weak results in a final phase of clinical trials.