Drug maker AstraZeneca released the results of its COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials on Wednesday, showing increasing efficacy after a single dose of the vaccine.
The Results indicate that a single dose of AstraZeneca’s vaccine candidate results in 76 percent efficacy. When a second dose was administered over a longer period, namely 12 weeks or more, the vaccine efficacy increased to 82 percent.
Researchers used a placebo-controlled study to evaluate the results. Within the group receiving vaccinations, there were no hospital admissions, while 15 were reported in the control group.
Phase 3 clinical studies were conducted in the UK, Brazil and South Africa – all countries with reports of new, more contagious COVID-19 strains.
Also promising, studies show that the vaccine could potentially reduce the spread of the virus, in addition to preventing people from developing symptoms. AstraZeneca reports that, based on weekly swabs from volunteers in the UK, positive cases decreased by 67 percent after a single dose and 50 percent after the second dose, an optimistic sign that the vaccine has a significant impact on the transmission of the virus.
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A more detailed report published in the medical journal The Lancet, noted that more than 17,000 subjects were enrolled in the studies and that the binding antibody response was significantly higher after a two-dose interval of 12 weeks instead of less than six weeks.
“This primary analysis reaffirms that our vaccine prevents serious illness and keeps people out of the hospital,” said Sir Mene Pangalos, executive vice president of BioPharmaceuticals R&D at AstraZeneca. “In addition, extending the dosing interval not only increases the efficacy of the vaccine, but also allows more people to be pre-vaccinated. Together with the new findings on reduced transmission, we believe this vaccine will have a real impact on the pandemic. “
Pfizer and Moderna vaccines currently being administered in the US are given approximately three weeks apart.
Last week, Johnson & Johnson came out comparable vaccine data, implying high efficacy with only a single dose of their vaccine.
In addition, clinical research data suggests that the vaccine may have a “substantial effect” in reducing the transmission of the virus. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests on samples from some of the British volunteers found a 67 percent reduction in confirmed infections.
Observing the number of positive PCR tests is an effective epidemiological strategy to measure the transmission rate of a virus within a population. The less positive results imply a reduced virus spread.
“This new data is an important verification of the interim data that has helped regulators such as the MHRA in the UK and elsewhere in the world to grant the emergency vaccine authorization,” Professor Andrew Pollard, lead investigator of the Oxford and AstraZeneca Vaccine Trial, noted on. “It also helps to support the policy recommendation of the Joint Vaccination and Vaccination Committee for a 12-week prime boost interval, as they look for the optimal approach to roll-out, and it assures us that 22 days after a single dose of the vaccine. “
AstraZeneca is now seeking emergency use approval from the World Health Organization (WHO).
As with other vaccines, it should be stored at cool temperatures of two to eight degrees Celsius.
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