AstraZeneca’s Vaccine Drama Risks Prolonging the Pandemic

Mene Pangalos, head of biopharmaceuticals research for AstraZeneca Plc, went to bed on Monday, March 22, feeling good for the first time in a while. After working around the clock through the weekend, he’d just announced better-than-expected interim results from the company’s large U.S. vaccine trial: The shot was safe and 79% effective at preventing cases of symptomatic Covid-19. Positive news, at last, after months of questions about everything including safety and supply shortfalls.

But at around 5 the next morning, Pangalos was jolted out of bed in the U.K. by a call from AstraZeneca Chief Executive Officer ...