AstraZeneca
UK approves Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine
Britain on Wednesday authorised emergency use of a second COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the first country to greenlight an easy-to-handle shot that its developers hope will become the “vaccine for the world.”
Poor countries’ long wait for Covid-19 vaccines
The route out of the pandemic now seems far longer and rougher for poorer countries while Americans, Britons and Canadians are rolling up their sleeves to receive Covid-19 shots.
Oxford vaccine is safe, but questions remain over efficacy
Full interim analysis of the safety and efficacy of the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine – developed in partnership with AstraZeneca – has been published in the Lancet. This paper represents the most comprehensive set of results from any of the phase 3 trials of COVID-19 vaccines to date.
According to an article by Dr Paul Hunter, Professor of Medicine at the University of East Anglia in the UK, on the website of GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, these are still only interim results, meaning they show only how the ongoing phase 3 trial has progressed so far. The final results may differ. But what this analysis reveals is how the Oxford team calculated its vaccine’s efficacy, which it announced in late November.
This interim analysis included 11,636 people, of whom 7,548 were in the UK and 4,088 in Brazil, Dr Hunter writes. All participants received two injections, but as has been widely reported, one of the UK groups received a half dose rather than a full dose for the initial injection. This has made analysing the effects of this vaccine more complicated than it probably will be for others in the late stages of testing.
Importantly, the evidence that the vaccine is safe is convincing, according to Dr Hunter. There were 175 severe adverse events reported in the trials, and these were actually more common in the control group (which received either saline or a meningococcal vaccine) than with those receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.
Three of these events were judged to be possibly related to either the experimental or control vaccine. They included a case of transverse myelitis, a rare but serious spinal inflammatory disorder, in someone in the vaccine group, a case of haemolytic anaemia in someone in the control group, and a further person who developed a fever of over 40°C. As yet we don’t know whether this person received the COVID-19 vaccine or a control.
Across the study, ten patients became sufficiently ill with COVID-19 to require hospitalisation, but all were in the control arm.
Studies suggest AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine safe, effective
New results on a possible COVID-19 vaccine from Oxford University and AstraZeneca suggest it is safe and about 70% effective, but questions remain about how well it may help protect those over 55 — a key concern for a vaccine that health officials hope to rely on around the world because of its low cost, availability and ease of use.
UK gives 1st doses of COVID-19 vaccine as world watches
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Moderna asking US, European regulators to OK its virus shots
Moderna Inc. said it would ask U.S. and European regulators Monday to allow emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccine as new study results confirm the shots offer strong protection — ramping up the race to begin limited vaccinations as the coronavirus rampage worsens.
SII files Rs100 cr lawsuit after volunteer says Oxford vaccine left him ill
The Serum Institute of India has responded to "malicious and misconceived" allegations by preparing a Rs100 crore defamation suit against a Covishield coronavirus vaccine trial participant who claimed to suffer a "virtual neurological breakdown" after being administered a dose, reports NDTV.
Russia's Sputnik V developers suggest AstraZeneca to try combining vaccines
Developers of Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine on Thursday called on British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to try combining its experimental shot with the Russian one to boost efficacy.
AstraZeneca manufacturing error clouds vaccine study results
AstraZeneca and Oxford University on Wednesday acknowledged a manufacturing error that is raising questions about preliminary results of their experimental COVID-19 vaccine.
Oxford vaccine, for which GoB signed deal, shown to be effective
Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca said Monday that late-stage trials showed its coronavirus vaccine was up to 90% effective, giving public health officials hope they may soon have access to a vaccine that is cheaper and easier to distribute than some of its rivals.