獨 media “EU will not approve those over 65”
AstraZeneca “complete misinformation” immediate backlash
Photo = AP
The European Union (EU) is highly likely to exclude seniors 65 years of age or older from vaccinating the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) vaccine jointly developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, a UK-based multinational pharmaceutical company It was reported on the 25th (local time), citing Handelsblatt, etc.
Handelsblatt said that it is known that the preventive effect of the AstraZeneca vaccine is only 8-10% for the elderly over the age of 65. For this reason, German officials said that the AstraZeneca vaccine will not be approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for use in the elderly over the age of 65.
AstraZeneca responded immediately, saying that it was “completely wrong reporting.” Already in December of last year, an influential group of experts in the UK, including the independent regulatory agency, MHRA, Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI), and Working Group Committee for Human Medicines, supported the use of the elderly. The side explained. A spokesman for AstraZeneca said, “We published data in the British Medical Journal’s Lancet last November to prove that the elderly also had a strong COVID-19 immune response. After the second vaccination, all the elderly have corona 19 antibodies. It’s done,” he insisted.
The results of the conditional marketing approval review of AstraZeneca vaccine currently underway by EMA will be released on the 29th. Initially, it was observed that AstraZeneca vaccine would be difficult to obtain approval for use of EMA within January. This is because there were pointed out that there was a lack of information on the vaccine, such as’rubber band immunity effect’, which has a different prevention rate depending on the dose, and lack of key data. That’s why EMA requested AstraZeneca to submit additional data last month. Donald Trump, Dr. Monsef Slawi, who led the vaccine development program’Ultra-Rapid Operation’ in the US administration, said, “In the existing clinical trials of the AstraZeneca vaccine, very few elderly people participated.” “The effect of preventing the elderly is virtually unknown.” I also pointed out.
Apart from its immunity effect on the elderly, AstraZeneca is receiving glare from EU countries for the’supply delay problem’. The EU warned AstraZeneca that it would block the export of the Corona 19 vaccine to EU member states such as the UK. This is because AstraZeneca is trying to delay the vaccine supply without sufficient explanation. Earlier, AstraZeneca announced on the 22nd that the initial European supply will be reduced due to production disruption.
The AstraZeneca vaccine is the only overseas pharmaceutical company that has signed a COVID-19 vaccine supply contract with the Korean government such as Janssen, Pfizer, and Modena, and is undergoing product approval review by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Pfizer’s vaccine, which has a fast vaccination rate worldwide, is in the’preliminary review’ stage before full-scale product approval screening. AstraZeneca’s vaccine is expected to enter Korea sequentially starting next month.
AstraZeneca vaccine is a’viral vector vaccine’ made by putting the corona 19 virus surface antigen gene into a chimpanzee adenovirus template. It is a method of administering twice after 4-12 weeks after one inoculation. It is evaluated that it is advantageous for distribution because its storage conditions are 2-8 degrees.
Currently, phase 3 clinical trials are in progress in about 10 countries, including the UK, Brazil, and the US. In September of last year, the clinical trial was suspended due to an unexpected abnormal case, but as a result of safety review, the clinical trial was resumed because there was no direct relationship with the vaccine. The UK confirmed its preventive effect on 11,636 people in the AstraZeneca vaccine clinical trial and approved it for emergency use on December 30 last year.
Reporter Park Sang-yong [email protected]
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