Sign up here for our daily coronavirus newsletter on what you need to know and subscribe to our Covid-19 podcast for the latest news and analysis.
AstraZeneca Plc’s Covid-19 vaccine has shown limited efficacy against mild disease caused by the variant first identified in South Africa, according to early data from a small phase trial.
Efficacy against severe cases of Covid-19, hospitalization, and deaths has not yet been determined, “since the subjects were predominantly healthy and young adults,” an AstraZeneca spokesman said in a statement.
None of the study participants died or were hospitalized, according to the Financial Times, which first reported the results of the study. The study, with a relatively small sample size of more than 2,000 individuals, has not yet been peer-reviewed and is due to be published on Monday, according to the newspaper. Patients in the double-blind randomized study had a mean age of 31 years.
“We believe our vaccine could protect against serious disease, as the neutralizing activity of antibodies is equivalent to that of other Covid-19 vaccines that have shown activity against more serious diseases, especially when the dosing interval is optimized. at 8-12 weeks, ”AstraZeneca spokesman said.
Initial data indicate that other immune responses, such as T-cell responses, may remain intact in the South African variant, the spokesman added.
The variant first identified in South Africa emerges as a key threat to the global outlook for ending the pandemic as countries launch initial doses of vaccine. Although vaccine manufacturers said their shots it seems to maintain efficacy against UK variants, in which pharmaceutical companies are competing develop reinforcing shots against new variants as the virus evolves.
Oxford University and AstraZeneca have begun adapting their vaccine against this variant, the spokesman said. If necessary, they will advance through clinical development so that it is ready for the fall birth.
Earlier this week, Astra’s executive vice president for biopharmaceutical research lowered expectations of how the variant vaccine would work.
“We won’t be surprised to see reduced efficiency,” Mene Pangalos said. “It is to be hoped that there will be a reduction in activity.”
(Updates with AstraZeneca statement from the second paragraph.)