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The second phase of clinical trials of the covid-19 vaccine developed by the English University of Oxford proves this it is safe in healthy elderly people and stimulates an immune response, the medical journal “The Lancet” reports this Thursday.
In collaboration with the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and other organizations, the researchers tested the preparation, called ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, in an experiment with 560 healthy adults, including 240 over the age of 70, with the aim of observing its impact on the immune system and possible side effects.
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The “promising preliminary results” indicate that this SARS-CoV-2 virus vaccine delivers “Similar safety and immunogenicity translate into healthy older adults than those between 18 and 55 years of age.”.
According to ‘The Lancet’, Phase 2 concludes that the antidote causes “few side effects” and “induces an immune response in both parts of the immune system in all age groups with both low and standard doses” .
According to the study, the British vaccine generates a T cell response (able to find and attack virus infected cells) 14 days after the first dose and an antibody response 28 days after the booster dose (which would attack the virus as it circulates in the blood or lymphatic system).
The authors note that Phase 3 clinical trials, which are ongoing, should confirm these findings and determine “to what extent the vaccine is effective in protecting against SARS-CoV-2 infection” in a larger group and heterogeneous. of people, which includes older people with previous pathologies.
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In the study published this Thursday, which does not measure the vaccine’s effectiveness to protect against the virus, 560 adults (160 between 18 and 55; 160 between 56 and 59 and 240 over 70) received the Oxford vaccine. it is a control antidote.
Volunteers over 55 years They were divided into two groups and received a single dose of the vaccine or two over a 28-day period.
All were observed from the start to detect adverse effects as well as the immune response.
The authors note this Side effects of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 were “mild” (such as injection pain, fatigue, headache, fever or muscle pain) although more common than with the control vaccine.
Thirteen serious cases were detected within six months of the first dose but are not considered vaccine related.
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The researchers explain that side effects were even less common in older adults than in younger adults, and the immune response was “similar” across all age groups after the booster dose.
Induce an immune response in both parts of the immune system in all age groups with both low and standard doses
The vaccine induced antibodies to the coronavirus peak protein 28 days after a first low or standard dose in all age groups. After the booster shot, the antibody level increased 56 days after the start of the experimentand the same happened with the neutralizing antibodies 42 days later.
For its part, the T-cell response against the coronavirus spike protein culminated fourteen days after the first injection, regardless of age or dose.
Researcher Sarah Gilbert says this study “answers some of the questions” raised by the World Health Organization (WHO) about the need for covid vaccines to protect the elderly.
However, he points out, other “questions about the effectiveness and duration of protection” have yet to be answered the vaccine must be tested on older people with medical conditions to ensure it protects those who are most at risk of becoming seriously ill.
The authors acknowledge that their experiment “has limitations,” for example that older people had an average age of 73 or 74 and were in good health, which does not reflect the situation in nursing homes.
Plus, they add, most of the volunteers of any age were white and therefore non-smokers the third phase of clinical trials will extend testing to people of diverse backgrounds.
EFE
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