British pharmaceutical group AstraZeneca said it found “the winning formula” to improve its COVID-19 vaccine developed with the University of Oxford.
The British laboratory announced in November that its vaccine was, on average, 70 percent effective in clinical trials, compared with more than 90 percent for vaccines from Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna, which have already been authorized for use in several countries.
The results of the interim clinical trial showed large differences in the data because of two different protocols: effectiveness was 90 percent for volunteers who first received half a dose and then a full dose a month later, but only 62 percent for another group two full doses were vaccinated.
The results were criticized because the half-dose injection was due to an error and a relatively small group followed that protocol. The company then announced that its vaccine required “an additional study”.
But Pascal Soriot, chief executive of AstraZeneca, ensured that the company’s vaccine provided “100% protection” against severe forms of Covid-19, telling the Sunday Times newspaper: “We think we have found the winning formula and how to be effective so that , after two doses, stay up there with everyone ”.
He added: “I can’t say any more because we are going to publish at some point.”
The Oxford University / AstraZeneca vaccine is eagerly awaited in the UK because it is relatively inexpensive and can be stored in conventional freezers, unlike the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine that must be stored at -70 degrees.
This makes it easier to vaccinate on a large scale, as well as in nursing homes.
The United Kingdom, the first western country to authorize the distribution of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine in early December, is counting on this second vaccine to gain momentum and halt the increase in cases attributed to a new variant of the coronavirus in its soil.
“For now, we believe the vaccine must remain effective” against the new variant, said Soriot. “But we can’t be sure, so let’s try it out.”
He assured that new versions were being prepared for the case, but he hopes he doesn’t need them: “You have to be prepared”.
The UK government announced on Wednesday that it had submitted complete data on the Oxford / AstraZeneca University vaccine to the UK regulator, the Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
According to the British press, the MHRA is expected to make a decision in the coming days with a view to injecting the vaccine from January 4.
The UK has ordered 100 million doses of the vaccine from Oxford University / AstraZeneca, of which 40 million should be available by the end of March.
In all, the UK government has guaranteed access to more than 350 million doses by the end of next year, buying from seven manufacturers during the clinical testing phase.
In total, more than 600,000 people have already received the first dose of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine.
The success of the current campaign in the UK is all the more crucial as the country, one of the most affected by the pandemic with more than 70,000 deaths, is seeing a resurgence of the virus.
The authorities attributed this resurgence to a mutation that, according to a British study, is 50% to 74% more contagious and has caused more than 40 countries to close their borders to UK travelers.