The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine should only be given to people between the ages of 18 and 64, the German vaccine committee recommended, a day before a decision by European regulators on the doctor’s shot is approved.
The recommendation for Germany comes at a time when the European Union, which is struggling to supply vaccines, has warned AstraZeneca to deliver photos as promised, despite a shortfall in its first-quarter vaccine production caused by an error in its European chain. for Supply.
“Insufficient data are currently available to assess the efficacy of the vaccine from the age of 65,” the German committee, also known as STIKO, said in a draft recommendation made available by the German Ministry of Health on Thursday.
The European Union approved a vaccine developed by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech in late December and gave the green light to a photo taken by Moderna in early January, both based on so-called mRNA technology.
The bloc’s drug regulator, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), is set to launch a recommendation on Friday on the AstraZeneca vaccine, co-developed by Oxford University.
STIKO said that apart from the age warnings for the AstraZeneca, all three were equally suitable for use.
His assessment was based on the same study data published in The Lancet on December 8.
“Strong antibody production” in the elderly
On Monday, the doctor denied that his COVID-19 vaccine is not very effective for people over the age of 65, after reports in the German press said that officials fear that the vaccine may not be approved in the European Union to be used in the elderly.
A person familiar with the EMA’s regulatory procedures said that the watchdog – although established to establish a positive risk-benefit balance in general – is likely to indicate a lack of data on older people and will leave it to Member States to decide whether to omit or include that demographic in their immunization campaigns for the time being.
“I don’t think there will be restrictions on age groups,” the source said.
Only 5.7 percent of the 11,636 study participants included in the analysis were 65 years of age or older, data published by STIKO showed.
Within the older cohort, one of the 341 vaccinated individuals and one in a control group of 319 unvaccinated individuals became infected with coronavirus, making a statistically reliable conclusion impossible.
AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot said the company has less data than other senior drug makers as it began vaccinating the elderly later.
“But we have strong data showing a very strong production of antibodies against the virus in the elderly, similar to what we see in younger people,” he told Die Welt in an interview earlier this week, referring to blood tests. .
AstraZeneca said on Thursday that the latest analyzes of clinical trial data support efficacy in those over 65 years of age.
“We are awaiting a decision to regulate the vaccine by the EMA in the coming days,” she added.
“Very soothing” immune responses
Pfizer and partner BioNTech have also announced delays in EU deliveries in recent weeks, and German Health Minister Jens Spahn has warned that the shortage will last until April.
Spahn said there are younger age groups with existing conditions waiting to be vaccinated, adding that the final recommendation on the use of the AstraZeneca shot will only come after EU approval.
In addition to people over the age of 80 and people living in old people’s homes, Germany gives priority to first-line medical and care staff.
At the end of December, the United Kingdom became the first country to approve the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The government said at the time that it would not recommend one vaccine over another for different cohorts of the population, even though data on the effectiveness of AstraZeneca stroke in the elderly are currently limited.
The main British public health body said on Thursday that it still supports the decision.
Although there were too few cases of infection observed in late-stage studies, the previous blood test on immune responses was “very reassuring.”
The vaccine was launched in January, in a campaign that targeted the elderly and saw more than seven million receive their first dose.
The UK has also used the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.