<span style="color: #222222;">Serum Institute of India (SII) has put on hold trials of a potential COVID-19 vaccine produced by British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca following a notice issued by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).&nbsp;</span><br />” <br />” <span style="color: #222222;">The trials will be restarted once the British drugmaker restarts them. DCGI VG Somani has asked SII about the details of the suspension of COVID-19 trials overseas after reports of unexplained illness in a study participant forced AstraZeneca to pause trials of its experimental Coronavirus vaccine.&nbsp;</span><br />” <br />” <span style="color: #222222;">She asked for an explanation from SII as to why the trials should not be suspended in India until and unless patient safety is established. She warned the company of strict action if it failed to provide a valid explanation.</span><br />” <br />” <span style="color: #222222;">SII has stated that it paused trials of its experimental Coronavirus vaccine. AstraZeneca Plc on Tuesday said it has paused a late-stage trial of one of the leading COVID-19 vaccine candidates after an unexplained illness in a study participant.&nbsp;</span><br />” <br />” <span style="color: #222222;">The study is testing a COVID-19 vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford researchers at various sites, including the United Kingdom, where the illness was reported.</span><br />