A health professional prepares a dose of Oxford / AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine at the vaccination center set up in Brighton, South England, on 26 January 2021.
Ben Stensall | AFP | Getty Images
LONDON – The findings of a large US study showed that the coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford is 79% effective in preventing symptomatic diseases and 100% effective against severe diseases and hospitalization.
The vaccine safety and efficacy analysis, published on Monday, was based on 32,449 participants in a phase 3 study.
By comparison, the Moderna vaccine has been shown to be over 94% effective in preventing Covid, and the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been shown to be 95% effective.
AstraZeneca said it will continue to analyze the data and prepare for the primary analysis to be submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration for emergency use in the coming weeks.
It comes shortly after a number of countries temporarily suspended the use of the shot following reports of blood clots in some vaccinated people. Health experts have sharply criticized the action, citing a lack of data, while analysts have expressed concern about the impact on vaccine absorption as the virus continues to spread.
Germany, France, Italy and Spain are among those that have resumed use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine after the European Medicines Regulatory Authority said the initial investigation into possible side effects concluded that the shot was both safe and effective.
The World Health Organization and the International Society for Thrombosis and Hemostasis have recommended that countries continue to use the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
AstraZeneca said in a statement on Monday that an independent council had not identified safety issues related to the shooting. They also performed a specific analysis of blood clots, as well as cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST), an extremely rare blood clot in the brain, with the help of an independent neurologist.
The Data Security Monitoring Board “found no increased risk of thrombosis or thrombotic events among the 21,583 participants who received at least one dose of vaccine. The specific search for CVST found no events in this study.”
AstraZeneca shares traded almost 1% in early morning trades.
Additional “much-needed” vaccination option
Ann Falsey, a professor of medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine in the United States and co-leader of the trial’s lead investigator, said: “This analysis validates the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as an additional vaccination option, providing confidence that adults of all ages can benefit from protection against the virus. “
The pharmaceutical giant said the shooting was well tolerated and that its effectiveness was considered consistent in ethnicity and age.
In particular, the Oxford-AstraZeneca stroke was 80% effective in preventing Covid in participants aged 65 years and older.
A health worker receives the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine at the Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan, on Monday, March 22, 2021. Taiwan began vaccination against coronavirus today.
I-Hwa Cheng | Bloomberg | Getty Images
“These results add to the growing body of evidence that this vaccine is well tolerated and highly effective against all COVID-19 severities and for all age groups,” said Mene Pangalos, executive vice president of research and development for BioPharmaceuticals. from AstraZeneca. .
“We are confident that this vaccine can play an important role in protecting millions of people around the world against this deadly virus,” Pangalos said.
Among the participants in the intermediate analysis, about 20% were 65 years of age and older, while about 60% had comorbidities associated with an increased risk of severe Covid progression, such as diabetes or heart disease.