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AstraZeneca said on Monday that late-stage studies showed its COVID-19 vaccine with the University of Oxford was up to 90% effective in preventing disease.
The results are based on the interim analysis of trials in the UK and Brazil of a vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and manufactured by AstraZeneca. There have been no reported hospitalizations or severe cases of COVID-19 in those who received the vaccine, AstraZeneca said.
The study looked at two different dosage regimens. A half dose of the vaccine followed by a full dose at least one month apart was 90% effective. A second regimen using two full doses one month apart was 62% effective. The combined results showed an average efficacy rate of 70%.
“These results show that we have an effective vaccine that will save many lives,” Professor Andrew Pollard, lead investigator of the trial, said in a statement. “Interestingly, one of our dosage regimens can be around 90% effective.”
AstraZeneca is the third major pharmaceutical company to report late-stage findings for its potential COVID-19 vaccine as public health officials around the world look forward to the vaccines that will end the pandemic that killed nearly 1.4 million of people. Pfizer and Moderna last week reported preliminary results from late-stage studies showing their vaccines were nearly 95% effective.
However, unlike many of its rivals, the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine does not need to be stored in extremely cold temperatures, making it much easier to distribute in developing countries.
AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot said AstraZeneca’s simple supply chain of the vaccine and the company’s commitment to providing it non-profit during the pandemic mean it will be accessible and available to people around the world.
“The efficacy and safety of this vaccine confirm that it will be highly effective against COVID-19 and will have an immediate impact on this health emergency,” Soriot said.
Incredibly exciting news: the Oxford vaccine has proven so effective in testing. There are still more security checks in sight, but these are fantastic results.
Kudos to our brilliant scientists on @UniofOxford & amp; @AstraZeneca and all those who volunteered in the trials. https://t.co/84o8TKhQga
& mdash;@BorisJohnson
The findings come as COVID-19 infection rates are rising in most U.S. states and many countries amid a resurgence of the virus, which is once again prompting governments to shut down businesses and limit meetings. social networks around the world. England is still in the midst of a four-week lockdown that has closed all non-essential stores, while in the US, the government’s leading health agency has advised Americans not to travel to visit family and friends over the holidays. Thanksgiving this week.
“Great sense of relief”
Now that AstraZeneca has released its interim results, regulators must approve the vaccine before it can be widely distributed.
Britain has ordered 100 million doses of the Oxford vaccine, and the government says several million doses can be produced before the end of the year if it gets regulatory approval.
British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he felt “a great sense of relief” at the news of the AstraZeneca vaccine’s effectiveness.
He said a few months ago, as the virus raged, “the idea that by November we would have three vaccines, all of which are highly effective, I would have teeth for eyes.”
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