A potential candidate for a Covid-19 vaccine being co-developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University has produced a strong immune response among older adults in Phase II trials, bringing hope that it could be used for the protection of those more vulnerable to the virus.
The trial results, published in The Lancet, showed that the vaccine had fewer adverse effects in adults over 70 than it did in younger people, but that the immune response it produced was similar in both groups.
The AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine is still at an earlier stage than the vaccines being developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, both of which have been shown to protect 95% of people from infection.
“The robust antibody and T-cell responses seen in older people in our study are encouraging,” said Maheshi Ramasamy, a consultant and a co-lead investigator at the Oxford Vaccine Group.
“The populations at greatest risk of serious Covid-19 disease include people with existing health conditions and older adults. We hope that this means our vaccine will help to protect some of the most vulnerable people in society, but further research will be needed before we can be sure.”
Phase III trials of the vaccine are already underway, where its effectiveness at preventing people from developing the virus is being tested. The first efficacy results are “possible in the coming weeks,” the Lancet report said.
At one point, the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine was among the frontrunners in a worldwide effort to develop inoculation against the virus. However, the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna shots have edged ahead over the past two weeks.
Unlike the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna shots, both of which use a new technology known as messenger RNA (mRNA), the AstraZeneca-Oxford shot is a viral vector vaccine created from a weakened version of a cold virus found in chimpanzees.
The Phase II trial reported in The Lancet involved a total of 560 healthy volunteers, with 160 aged 18-55 years, 160 aged 56-69 years, and 240 aged 70 or over.
Volunteers got two doses of the vaccine or a placebo, and no serious side effects related to the AZD1222 vaccine were reported, the researchers said.
AstraZeneca has signed several supply and production deals with companies and governments around the world as it gets close to reporting results of its late-stage trials.
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