LONDON (AP) – AstraZeneca’s repeated mistakes in reporting vaccine data, coupled with a blood clot scare, could permanently affect the credibility of a blow that is central to the global strategy to stop the coronavirus pandemic, which could further undermine much confidence in the vaccine, experts say.
The latest vaccine ban came on Tuesday, when US officials issued an unusual statement expressing concern. that AstraZeneca included “outdated information” when it reported encouraging results from a US trial a day earlier. This could have provided “an incomplete view of the efficacy data”, according to the statement.
AstraZeneca responded that the results, which showed its hit, were about 79% effective, included information until February 17, but seemed to be consistent with more up-to-date data. Promised an update in 48 hours.
“I doubt the intention (US officials) to deliberately undermine confidence in the AstraZeneca vaccine,” said Dr. Paul Hunter, a professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia. “But this is likely to cause more hesitation in the vaccine.”
Even if the damage is limited to the AstraZeneca itself, it would have far-reaching effects, as the hit is cheaper and easier to store than many of its rivals and is therefore expected to be widely used in the developing world. . International health agencies have repeatedly said the vaccine is safe and effective, but this is not the first time the company has had public confidence.
The partial results of his first major study – which the UK used to authorize the vaccine – were denied by a manufacturing mistake that researchers did not immediately recognize. Insufficient data on how well the vaccine has protected the elderly has led some countries to initially limit their use to younger populations before reversing the course. U.S. officials suspended an AstraZeneca study for an unusual six weeks while searching for details of problems reported in the UK before deciding that the vaccine was not to blame. Meanwhile, the European Union has complained about delays in delivering vaccines from the company.
Then last week, more than a dozen countries temporarily stopped using AstraZeneca gunfire after reports of rare blood clots in some people who received it. The European Medicines Agency has concluded that the shot did not increase the overall incidence of clots., but the unwanted attention seems to have left a mark.
In Norway, a top official warned on Monday that he might not be able to resume using the vaccine because so many people were rejecting it.
“People are clearly saying they don’t want the AstraZeneca vaccine,” Kvittum Tangen, who runs a Norwegian medical association, told NRK Mars.
Last week in Bucharest, Romania, the vaccination coordinator, Valeriu Gheorghita, said that 33,000 meetings with AstraZeneca immunization were canceled in 24 hours and that about a third of the 10,000 people scheduled to receive the vaccine did not show up. In Belgrade, Serbia, a large exhibition center set up for people to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine was largely deserted on Monday.
“Unfortunately, this is more about perception than science,” said Dr. Bharat Pankhania, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Exeter in the UK.
“We have now seen, on several parameters, that the AstraZeneca vaccine provides protection and is safe,” he said. “But the narrative for the audience was not as clear.”
France is a prime example of confusion.
French President Emmanuel Macron initially suggested that the vaccine was not effective for the elderly before demotion. However, France only authorized the AstraZeneca vaccine for use in adults aged 65 and under, citing a lack of data. Then the government changed its mind, based on the new data, and said it was good for all adults. But when there were reports of rare blood clots in some vaccine recipients, the government suspended the use of the shot together. When France restarted AstraZeneca, it banned shooting for anyone under 55.
The whiplash messages come at a time when France – like much of mainland Europe – is struggling to speed up vaccination, while also facing an increase in cases nearing its hospitals and to cause threats with new blockages.
At a European Parliament committee in Brussels on Tuesday, Sandra Gallina, head of the European Commission’s health directorate, described the situation with AstraZeneca as “a shame”. She said vaccination campaigns across Europe have been “greatly hampered by AstraZeneca’s poor performance”.
The company blamed delays in its deliveries on production issues.
Even if the doctor clears up the last misunderstanding, it could have a lasting impact.
Julian Tang, a virologist at the University of Leicester, has highlighted the controversy over the measles vaccine for decades as a warning story.
“There was absolutely no evidence that the vaccine (measles, mumps and rubella) caused autism,” he said. But despite the withdrawal of the paper that made the claim, Tang said some people are still worried about the vaccine.
Warm support for the AstraZeneca vaccine in Europe is in contrast to governments in the developing world who are desperate for supplies.
Dr. Bruce Aylward, senior adviser to the World Health Organization, said the UN agency has a long list of countries “very eager” to get the shot as soon as possible. “We just can’t get enough of him,” he said.
But some experts have worried that skepticism in Europe could eventually endanger fish vaccine worldwide. They suggested a measure that could calm a nervous audience: a green light from the US Food and Drug Administration.
“If the US regulator analyzes this data and authorizes AstraZeneca, it will carry a lot of weight,” said Jimmy Whitworth, a professor of international public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
AstraZeneca said it will submit its FDA data in a few weeks.
It is still possible that the vaccine will bury the doubts. At a vaccination center in Lisbon, 68-year-old Rui Manuel Martins dismissed concerns, saying millions had been immunized with very few adverse effects.
“There are always some cases of rejection of any drug,” he said before receiving the first dose. “It’s better to be vaccinated than not.”
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Associated Press writers Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Angela Charlton in Paris, Stephen McGrath in Bucharest, Romania, Jamey Keaten in Geneva, Dusan Stojanovic in Belgrade, Serbia, Helena Alves in Lisbon, Samuel Petrequin and Raf Casert in Brussels and Lauran Neergaard in Washington contributed to this report.
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This story has been updated to correct the fact that France has now banned AstraZeneca for anyone under 55.