A British pharmacist says his vaccine showed “limited efficacy against mild disease” caused by the South African variant of the coronavirus.
The COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University appeared to offer limited protection against mild diseases caused by the South African variant of the coronavirus, a spokesman for the British drug manufacturer said.
Saturday’s statement came after the Financial Times reported that the vaccine did not prevent the mild to moderate illness caused by the variant first identified in South Africa.
The newspaper cited the first data from a trial conducted by the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa and Oxford University, the conclusions of which will be published on Monday.
The FT noted that none of the more than 2,000 young participants, mostly healthy and healthy, had been hospitalized or died. Results have not yet been reviewed in pairs.
In response to the FT report, an AstraZeneca spokesman said: “In this small phase I / II trial, early data have shown limited efficacy against mild disease mainly due to the South African variant B. 1,351.
“However, we have not been able to adequately determine its effect against serious illness and hospitalization, as the subjects were predominantly young healthy adults.”
The company said it believed its vaccine could protect against serious disease, as the neutralizing activity of the antibodies was equivalent to that of other COVID-19 vaccines that have shown protection against serious disease.
The spokesman also said AstraZeneca has begun adapting its vaccine against the South African variant and will “move quickly through clinical development so that it is ready for autumn delivery if necessary”.
Although thousands of individual changes have occurred as the virus transforms into new variants, it is likely that only a small minority are important or will change the virus appreciably, according to the British Medical Journal.
Among the coronavirus variants that are currently of most concern to scientists and public health experts are the so-called “South African”, “British” and “Brazilian” variants, which appear to be spreading faster than others.
Other vaccine developers, including Johnson & Johnson and Novax, have also said their vaccines showed reduced efficacy in clinical trials conducted in South Africa.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine was 57% effective in South Africa, compared to 72% in the United States and 66% in Latin America. Novax, meanwhile, said its vaccine was 89.3% effective in a trial conducted in the UK, but only showed 50% efficacy in a trial conducted in South Africa.
Moderna also reported a reduction in the immune response of her vaccine against the South African variant and has said she will try a new booster shot aimed at that variant.
Scientists say the mutations underscore the need to accelerate vaccination efforts before new and even more dangerous variants appear.