Newly released data from a large-scale U.S. trial shows that AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine is 79% effective at preventing symptomatic cases of the coronavirus, with 100% efficacy at preventing severe disease and death, according to the company.
The study was based on 32,449 participants, with two-thirds getting the shot, and one-third getting a placebo. Only 141 cases of COVID-19 turned up in the volunteer group.
“These results add to the growing body of evidence that shows this vaccine is well tolerated and highly effective against all severities of COVID-19 and across all age groups,” Mene Pangalos, the Executive Vice President of BioPharmaceuticals at AstraZeneca, said in a statement. “We are confident this vaccine can play an important role in protecting millions of people worldwide against this lethal virus.”
In the trial, about 20% of the participants were over 65, and about 60% had comorbidities associated with higher risk for the disease.
The promising data could bring the country one step closer to having another vaccine on the market, following the already authorized vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson, and could help to increase confidence in the vaccine.
Last week, over a dozen countries suspended use of the AstraZeneca vaccine following reports that the shot was linked to blood clots. The company said last week that there is “no evidence” the shot is linked to blood clots, and specifically tested for blood clots in this trial, finding “no increased risk of thrombosis or events characterised by thrombosis among the 21,583 participants receiving at least one dose of the vaccine.”
Europe’s top regulator cleared the vaccine as safe last week, but said that they “cannot rule out definitely a link” between blood clots and the vaccine, and as such recommended adding a description of these cases to the vaccine leaflets so health workers and patients would be aware.
“Our scientific position is that this vaccine is a safe and effective option to protect citizens against COVID-19,” said the head of the European Medicines Agency, Emer Cooke, adding: “If it were me, I would be vaccinated tomorrow.”
The company said that it is preparing to send the data to the Food and Drug Administration to apply for Emergency Use Authorization “in the coming weeks.” The study will also be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
“We are preparing to submit these findings to the US Food and Drug Administration and for the rollout of millions of doses across America should the vaccine be granted US Emergency Use Authorization,” Pangalos said.
The AstraZeneca vaccine is what scientists call a “viral vector” vaccine. The shots are made with a harmless virus, a cold virus that normally infects chimpanzees. It acts like a Trojan horse to carry the spike protein’s genetic material into the body, which in turn produces some harmless protein and primes the immune system to fight if the real virus comes along. The technology is the same as the one used in Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine.
Prior to this announcement, the Biden Administration announced last week that it is sending about 4 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Mexico and Canada. The U.S. is sitting on about 7 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki.
“This loan will not reduce the supply of vaccine to Americans,” White House coronavirus coordinator Jeff Zients said Friday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
