A major UK trial to see if COVID-19 vaccines can be mixed safely has expanded to include shots made by Moderna and Novavax, researchers announced Wednesday.
The Com-Cov study, led by the University of Oxford, was launched in February to compare the effect of administering a first dose of AstraZeneca-Oxford AZN,
AZN,
vaccine, followed a few weeks later by the vaccine jointly made by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer PFE,
and biotech BioNTech BNTX,
and vice versa.
The expanded study will attempt to recruit adults over 50 who received their first vaccination within the past eight to 12 weeks.
These volunteers, who have received either the vaccine from the drug company AstraZeneca, which has been co-developed with the University of Oxford, or the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, will be randomly given the same injection, or that of biotech Moderna MRNA,
0A45,
or that of the pharmaceutical Novavax NVAX,
0A3S,
for a second dose.
Read: Moderna, BioNTech stocks are on the rise after regulators stop using J&J vaccine
The trial’s six new “arms” will each involve 175 people, bringing the total number of trial participants to 1,050.
Researchers working at eight sites in the UK will monitor the immune system’s responses, as well as any side effects, such as fever, to these new vaccine combinations. The study is designed as a so-called ‘non-inferiority study’, which means that it is intended to demonstrate that mixing is not substantially worse than no mixing.
“If we can show that these mixed schedules generate an immune response that is on par with the standard schedules, and without a significant increase in vaccine responses, this may allow more people to complete their COVID-19 immunization course more quickly,” said Matthew Snape, associate professor of pediatrics and vaccinology at the University of Oxford and lead investigator on the trial, said in a statement.
“This would also create resilience within the system in the event of a shortage of availability of any of the vaccines,” added Snape.
Read: Modern COVID-19 Vaccine Launch Begins in England Offering Alternative to AstraZeneca Under 30s
The comprehensive study comes after the launch of the Moderna vaccine in England began in the UK this week
The Novavax vaccine has been shown to be 96% effective in preventing cases caused by the original version of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 in late-stage research in the UK. ,
in the UK, is not yet approved and is under ongoing review by the country’s medicines regulatory body, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
Read: Novavax CFO resigns, says biotech company
Results from the original Com-Cov study, using only the AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, are expected in May, while results from the second phase should be released by June or July, although the study will take a year.
If it shows promising results, the MHRA and the Joint Vaccination and Immunization Committee would formally review the safety and efficacy of any new vaccination regimen before rolling it out to patients.