(AP) — AstraZeneca’s release of encouraging data about its coronavirus vaccine from its U.S. trial raised hopes that the drug company could put a troubled rollout behind it. But just hours later, U.S. officials released an unusual statement expressing concerns AstraZeneca had included “outdated information” from its study and that it may have provided “an incomplete view of the efficacy data.” A company spokesman said Tuesday it was “looking into it.”
Coupled with previous missteps and a recent blood clot scare, experts say the reputational damage sustained by AstraZeneca in this latest stumble could cause lasting harm to efforts to a shot key to global efforts to stop the pandemic and undermine vaccine confidence more broadly.