A modified version of AstraZeneca’s (AZN.L) COVID-19 vaccine tailored to combat a coronavirus variant first documented in South Africa could be ready by the end of 2021, an AstraZeneca official said in Austria in an interview published on Sunday.
Sarah Walters, AstraZeneca’s country manager in Austria, told Kurier newspaper that studies so far indicating that the existing AstraZeneca vaccine was less effective against the more contagious variant first documented in South Africa, “were too small to to draw definitive conclusions “.
“In the meantime, AstraZeneca and Oxford University have started modifications to the vaccine for the South African variant and we expect it to be ready by the end of the year, should the need arise,” Walters told the Kurier.
Walters blamed – including delays in delivery of the AstraZeneca image in the European Union – the “complex process” of producing a vaccine, coupled with the extremely high demand resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. read more
“We had to work without keeping a stock in reserve. As a result, we couldn’t make up for unexpected events,” she said. “We are confident that we will deliver on our pledge to deliver 300 million doses to the European Union this year.”
The Kurier interview did not directly address ongoing investigations into health concerns about AstraZeneca’s shot. The EU has put a warning label on the vaccine due to its possible link with extremely rare blood clots, Denmark has stopped using the vaccine completely and Great Britain has advised people under 30 to buy a different brand of vaccine. read more
When asked about “thousands” of people in Austria who cancel appointments for AstraZeneca admissions, Walters said the company’s plan was “to continue to transparently provide efficacy and safety information to physicians so that they can adequately inform people” about the benefits and risks. .
UK and European drug regulators have said the overall benefits of using the vaccine outweigh the risks of rare clotting.
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