The British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca is the third company that has reported the successful passing of the Phase 3 trials of their Covid-19 vaccine. The vaccine developed in cooperation with Oxford University has an average efficiency of 70%.
The Third Vaccine To Pass The Phase 3 Trial
AstraZeneca’s news comes soon after Pfizer and Moderna have both reported the encouraging results of the Phase 3 trials. Both companies have announced that their vaccine shows approximately 95% effectiveness in protecting against the virus which is significantly higher than what AstraZeneca has reported with its 70 %.
Can AstraZeneca Vaccine Be As Effective As The Moderna And Pfizer Vaccine?
Having said that, as the preliminary results show, the effectiveness of the latter can go up to 90% in case of the patient receiving half a dose and subsequently a full dose after the period of at least 4 weeks. In the case of two full doses at least 4 weeks apart, the efficacy was at 62%. Thus, the average result of 70% effectiveness.
Chief Investigator Of AstraZeneca Thanks The Volunteers
The chief investigator of the AstraZeneca and Oxford vaccine, Professor Andrew Pollard has since issued a statement that reads, “These findings show that we have an effective vaccine that will save many lives. Excitingly, we’ve found that one of our dosing regimens maybe around 90% effective and if this dosing regime is used, more people could be vaccinated with a planned vaccine supply”. Pollard has also thanked all the volunteers that participated in the trials, as well as the team of researchers.
How Were The Trials Conducted?
The trials of the AstraZeneca vaccine were conducted in the United Kingdom and Brazil, with almost 25 000 participants. The company plans to conduct more global data in the upcoming weeks and is preparing for submitting their data to health authorities, in order to receive early approval. The British regulators are already conducting the so-called rolling review of the vaccine, as reported by the New York Times.
Markets Don’t Show Big Interest
However, the markets show mediocre interests, with AstraZeneca stock sliding 2% on Monday morning, due to the large gap between their results, as compared to the ones reported by both Pfizer and Moderna.
Competitive Advantages Of AstraZeneca’s Vaccine
The newest vaccine has several competitive advantages and if its effectiveness can be brought up to 90%, it could solve a lot of issues connected with the distribution. AstraZeneca’s vaccine is cheaper to produce and easier to store, with the ability to be stored in 34-36 degrees Fahrenheit. That is a significant improvement as compared to the Pfizer vaccine that has to be stored in ultracold temperature, making distribution complicated.
Vaccine Will Be Distributed Free Of Charge?
Moreover, the British-Swedish company has said they plan to distribute their vaccine free of charge for the duration of the pandemic. That would make it much more accessible to people around the world. Currently, Moderna plans to charge more than $30 per dose. Pfizer allegedly wants to charge $20 per dose.
Hanock And Johnson React To The News
The United Kingdom has already ordered 100 million doses, and Matt Hanock, the British Health Secretary has commented on the news saying, “The idea that by November we would have three vaccines, all of which have got high effectiveness … I would have given my eye teeth for”.
The Prime Minister of the UK, Boris Johnson, has also commented on the news, saying “Incredibly exciting news the Oxford vaccine has proved so effective in trials. There are still further safety checks ahead, but these are fantastic results. Well done to our brilliant scientists at UniofOxford & AstraZeneca, and all who volunteered in the trials.”
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