British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is receiving an AstraZeneca vaccine at St Thomas’s Hospital in London, UK on the 19th. London = AP Newsis
As a result of a large-scale phase 3 (stage) clinical trial conducted in the United States, it is reported that the vaccine for AstraZeneca (AZ) novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) is close to 80% effective and no blood clots (blood clots) have been observed. The AZ vaccine has been distrusted by controversy about its relatively inferior effect and side effects of thrombosis.
AZ, a multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in the UK, showed 79% efficacy in preventing the onset of COVID-19 symptoms in a large-scale US clinical trial in which 30,000 people participated in a press release released on the 22nd (local time). It was said that it was 100% effective in preventing the progression to this necessary severe condition. The effect of 80% was slightly higher than the overall average for the elderly over 65 years old. The vaccine was effective at all ages, including the elderly, AZ added.
“It is encouraging that it was first confirmed that similar effects (to the overall average) appear in elderly people over 65,” said Prof. Ahn Polsey of the University of Rochester Medical School, who led the US clinical trial research. Due to the fact that the elderly were not sufficiently included in the clinical trial, not a few countries have excluded the elderly from the AZ vaccine.
In addition, the results of this US clinical trial showed that the vaccine did not increase the risk of clot formation. AZ said it was confirmed that there were no side effects such as the case of blood clot formation confirmed in Europe. On the 18th, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) also announced that the AZ vaccine is a safe and effective vaccine, as a result of reviewing cases of thrombosis that occurred after vaccination.
In the US clinical trial, 32,449 people participated, and about 20,000 people were vaccinated and the rest were given placebo (placebo), and the results were compared. About 20% of the participants in this test were aged 65 or older, and about 60% had underlying diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.
The number released this time is slightly higher than the effective value (70.4%) derived from the existing large-scale clinical trials. According to the AZ announcement at the end of last year, the average immunity effect of the AZ vaccine during the clinical trial was 70.4%. This is less effective than 95% of Pfizer (US) and 94.5% of Modena (US).
Oxford University, UK, which jointly developed AZ and Corona 19 vaccine, also announced that the AZ vaccine was safe and highly effective in a phase 3 clinical trial conducted in the United States, Chile, and Peru on the same day for all age groups.
The medical community has been waiting for this result with anticipation that the results of the new clinical trials will end the confusion surrounding the effectiveness of the AZ vaccine, the Associated Press reported. Andrew Pollard, who heads the Oxford vaccine group, told Reuters that “it’s great news that it has shown remarkable efficacy in new subjects.”
Kwon Gyeong-seong reporter [email protected]
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