The AstraZeneca-Oxford University coronavirus vaccine was 79% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in a Phase 3 clinical trial conducted in the United States, Peru and Chile, according to an interim analysis of the data.
In a news release Monday, AstraZeneca said the two-dose vaccine, AZD1222, demonstrated “100% efficacy at preventing severe disease and hospitalization” for COVID-19 in the trial, which included more than 32,000 participants. Additionally, the vaccine was 80% effective among participants age 65 and older, the release said.
“The vaccine was well-tolerated, and the independent data safety monitoring board (DSMB) identified no safety concerns related to the vaccine,” the release said, adding that a review found “no increased risk” of “thrombotic events,” otherwise known as blood clots.
Although more than 50 countries have authorized AstraZeneca’s vaccine for emergency use, it has not yet been approved in the United States, according to The Associated Press.
The news comes just days after several European countries, including Germany, Spain, France and Italy, agreed to resume administering the AstraZeneca vaccine after temporarily suspending its use because a small number of recipients had reported blood clots, The New York Times reported. After conducting a review, the European Medicines Agency last week deemed the shot safe but said the vaccine will now include a warning label, according to the newspaper.
AstraZeneca said it “will continue to analyze the data and prepare for the primary analysis to be submitted to the U.S. food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization in the coming weeks,” the news release said.
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Cox Media Group
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