The U.S. National Institutes of Health said on Wednesday it had begun a mid-stage study to determine the risk of allergic reactions to COVID-19 vaccines made by Moderna Inc and Pfizer Inc.
Several allergic reaction incidents, including serious episodes, known as anaphylaxis, have been reported in the U.S. after vaccinations of Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna shots.
In January, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said allergic reactions are occurring at a rate of 11.1 per 1 million vaccinations.
The study, funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, will enroll 3,400 adults between the ages of 18 to 69, with about 60% participants having a history of severe allergic reactions to food, insect stings or immunotherapy.
The goal of the trial is to access the proportion of participants who have a systemic allergic reaction within 90 minutes after injection.
The agency expects to report data later this summer.
(Reporting by Manas Mishra and Mrinalika Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli, Bernard Orr) ((Manas.Mishra@thomsonreuters.com; www.twitter.com/Manasmishra24; within U.S. +1 646 223 8780, outside U.S. +91 806749 2709;))
