In particular, the controversy drew attention as the European Medicines Agency (EMA) decided to use the AstraZeneca vaccine urgently. The AstraZeneca vaccine is a vaccine pre-purchased by the Korean government.
[사진=로이터·연합뉴스]
8% vaccine efficacy for the elderly?…AstraZeneca evolves “No”
It is the German economic magazine’Handelsblatt’ that lit the fire of controversy. The newspaper cited officials from the German government on the 25th (local time), saying that the efficacy of the AstraZeneca vaccine was only 8% for the elderly over the age of 65. The daily newspaper Bilt also released a similar report on the same day. Since then, the two newspapers predicted that the AstraZeneca vaccine would not be approved for use in the elderly from the EMA as the efficacy of the vaccine has not been verified.
AstraZeneca released a study at the end of last year that the vaccine it developed elicited a strong immune response in the elderly. Elderly people are highly likely to develop into severely ill patients if they get Corona 19. Therefore, obtaining an immune response in the elderly has been one of the most important tasks in vaccine research. Many of the corona 19 deaths were infected over the age of 60.
The controversy spread rapidly after the German media reports. If the reports are true, it is likely that the EMA will only approve the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine to young people. Europe, which is second only to the United States, is now betting on the AstraZeneca vaccine, but it is highly likely to fall into a’half vaccine’ if concerns become reality.
Pascal Sorio AstraZeneca Chief Executive Officer[사진=EPA·연합뉴스]
As the controversy grew, AstraZeneca and the German government actively refuted and began to evolve. AstraZeneca said, “If you look at the data we published in the Lancet Medical Journal last November, the elderly showed a strong immune response from vaccination.” . It also emphasized that the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI) in the UK previously approved the use of its own vaccine for older people.
“I have no idea where the source of the false claim is,” Pascal Sorio AstraZeneca’s chief executive officer (CEO) said in an interview with Germany’s Develt. “I pinched. When asked about how effective it is for the elderly, he admitted, “Because of ethical issues, Oxford University did not test for the elderly in the first clinical trial.” There are detailed data that can be proved.”
In an interview with La Riblica daily in Italy, he admitted, “It is true that the amount of clinical data to prove efficacy for the elderly is somewhat insufficient.” Said.
The German Ministry of Health has also evolved, saying that newspapers confuse the numbers. In particular, he emphasized that ‘8%’ was the proportion of 56-69 years old who participated in clinical trials, not preventive effects. However, the Ministry of Health said, “There were fewer elderly people who participated in the AstraZeneca (vaccine) clinical trial than other manufacturers.”
Some experts also questioned the point that the AstraZeneca vaccine is only 8% effective for the elderly. Professor Adam Finn of the University of Bristol, UK, who reviewed clinical data, pointed out that “from what is mentioned in the Lancet Medical Journal, it is difficult to know the source of the figure of 8% efficacy for the elderly.”
The possibility of conditional approval by the European Medicines Agency’Solsol’…’half vaccine’
The controversy came ahead of the announcement of whether EMA’s AstraZeneca vaccine was approved for sale (approved for emergency use). EMA will decide whether to approve AstraZeneca vaccine for use in Europe on the 29th. Germany’s leading weekly magazine Spiegel predicted that the EMA could recommend vaccination only to those under the age of 65, as the vaccine was approved for use.
Earlier, EMA Commissioner Emma Cook did not rule out the possibility that the previous day, the European Parliament’s Health Commission would approve AstraZeneca vaccines only for certain age groups. It is read with the controversy that it is not effective for the elderly. “There is a possibility that a conclusion will be made to approve use by focusing on a specific age group, and a conclusion may be drawn to target a wider age group.” .
Commissioner Cook pointed out the fact that studies have been conducted with very few subjects so far, as to whether the AstraZeneca vaccine is effective for the elderly. He added, “We are trying to find out what the study data mean for clinical participants, as well as what the age group where the study was not conducted (when vaccinated) is expected.”
Emma Cook, EMA Commissioner[사진=EPA·연합뉴스]
Meanwhile, if the EMA approves the AstraZeneca vaccine and recommends vaccinating the vaccine only under the age of 65, the German government will consider changing the vaccination priorities. Germany is currently vaccinating the corona 19 vaccine first for elderly people over 80 years old.
Currently, AstraZeneca vaccine has been approved for emergency and restricted use in the UK, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and India.