The coronavirus vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca was 79% effective in a large US trial in preventing symptomatic illness, and was 100% effective against serious or critical illness and hospitalization.
The British drugmaker on Monday released the first data from an interim safety and efficacy analysis of more than 30,000 volunteers. The results are good news for the elderly, who made up about a quarter of the tests, after the trials last year failed to provide conclusive data for this age group due to a lack of participants. over 65 years old.
The findings are expected to help to some extent boost confidence in the vaccine globally after confusion over the vaccine’s true effectiveness and the best dosing regimen impacted adoption, especially in Europe.
The new data comes after many countries resumed use of the vaccine after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) said the benefits outweighed the risks. following investigation of reports of blood clots.
AstraZeneca said that an independent safety committee performed a specific examination for blood clots in the US trial, as well as cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST), which is an extremely rare blood clot in the brain, with the help from an independent neurologist.
The London-listed company said the panel found “no increased risk of thrombosis or events characterized by thrombosis among the 21,583 participants receiving at least one dose of the vaccine. Specific CVST research did not find no events in this essay. “
Ann Falsey, Professor of Medicine, University of Rochester, USA, and Co-Principal Investigator co-lead of the trial, said: “These results confirm previous results seen in the AZD1222 trials. in all adult populations, but it is exciting to see similar efficacy results in people over 65 for the first time. This analysis validates the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as a much-needed supplemental vaccination option, providing confidence that adults of all ages can benefit from protection against the virus. “
Mene Pangalos, Executive Vice President, R&D BioPharmaceuticals, said: “These results add to the growing body of evidence that shows this vaccine is well tolerated and highly effective against all severities of COVID-19 and in all groups of ‘age. We are confident that this vaccine can play an important role in protecting millions of people around the world from this deadly virus. We are preparing to submit these results to the United States Food and Drug Administration and the deployment of million doses across America if the vaccine receives emergency use clearance from the United States. “
Trials in Britain and Brazil in 2020 produced a range of readings due to the different doses and regimens used, and at least 10 countries in the European Union initially approved the vaccine only for those under 65. . Many have since reversed that decision after more data from real-world use showed shooting was very effective in the elderly.
With contributions from the agency