A 40-year-old man in India who took part in the Covishield vaccine trial is suing the Serum Institute of India, saying that he suffered serious side effects from a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine it is testing, India's Economic Times reports. It adds that the institute has rejected those claims.
According to Science, the trial involves the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and University of Oxford, which the Serum Institute of India has an agreement to produce on a large scale and is testing at 17 sites in India.
It further reports that the man sent the Serum Institute of India a legal notice last month that claimed that he experienced severe neurological symptoms 10 days after he received the first dose of the vaccine and that he spent more than two weeks in the hospital, part of it in intensive care, with acute neuro-encephalopathy. According to Bloomberg, the man is seeking compensation of 50 million rupees (US$676,000).
But the Serum Institute of India responded, saying there is no connection between the vaccine and the man's illness, the Economic Times adds. It says the institute further said the "allegations in the notice are malicious and misconceived" and it is itself seeking damages in a countersuit.
Science notes the situation has also raised questions about why the trial was not paused when the adverse effect occurred, as has happened with other trials.