AstraZeneca vaccine 76% effective in new U.S. trial analysis

PanARMENIAN.Net - AstraZeneca said its Covid-19 vaccine was 76% effective at preventing symptomatic illness in a new analysis of its key trial in the United States – slightly lower than the level announced earlier this week in a report that was criticized for using outdated information, Al Jazeera reports.

U.S. health officials had publicly rebuked the drugmaker for not using the most up-to-date information when it published an interim analysis on Monday, March 22 that said the vaccine was 79% effective.

The latest data was based on 190 cases of coronavirus among more than 32,400 participants in the United States, Chile and Peru. The earlier interim data was based on 141 infections up until February 17.

“The primary analysis is consistent with our previously released interim analysis, and confirms that our COVID-19 vaccine is highly effective in adults,” Mene Pangalos, the executive vice president of BioPharmaceuticals R&D at AstraZeneca said in a statement.

AstraZeneca said it plans to seek US emergency-use authorisation for the vaccine in the coming weeks and the latest data had been presented to the independent trial oversight committee, the Data Safety Monitoring Board.

AstraZeneca reiterated on Thursday that the shot, developed with Oxford University, was 100% effective against severe or critical forms of the disease. It also said the vaccine showed 85% efficacy in adults 65 years and older.