AstraZeneca: Confirmed strong immune response in older people for the COVID vaccine

par Kate Kelland

LONDON (Reuters) – The COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford elicits a strong immune response in the elderly, the results of a mid-stage study published Thursday in The Lancet Medical Journal.

According to the study, a preliminary version of which was already published last October, the candidate vaccine from the British laboratory would trigger strong immunity against COVID-19 in people over the age of 70, the most vulnerable to developing severe forms of the disease.

“The robust antibody and T cell responses seen in the elderly in our study are encouraging,” said Maheshi Ramasamy, senior consultant and co-researcher at the Oxford Vaccine Group.

No serious vaccine-related side effects have been reported, the researchers said.

Advanced clinical trials, called phase III, are underway to confirm the findings and to examine the extent of protection provided by the vaccine, including those with underlying health conditions.

The first results on the effectiveness of these phase III trials may be available “in the coming weeks,” according to The Lancet.

The candidate vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, called “AZD1222” or “ChAdOx1 nCoV-19”, has been among the most advanced in the global race to develop a cure that can end the disease. the health crisis.

Competing labs Pfizer Inc, BioNTech, and Moderna, however, have taken a head start over the past ten days, posting results showing over 90% efficacy for their respective vaccine candidates.

AstraZeneca has signed several contracts for the supply and production of its vaccine with companies and governments around the world, including the European Union.

(French version Diana Mandiá, edited by Blandine Hénault)