An AstraZeneca location in Gaithersburg, Maryland
Healthy volunteers in a study of a vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 virus that AstraZeneca is developing with the University of Oxford showed levels of neutralizing antibodies comparable to those of patients who have recovered from Covid-19, according to data published Monday.
The London-based drugmaker announced the publication of interim data from the Phase I/II COV001 trial of AZD1222, also known as ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, in The Lancet. The randomized, single-blind study enrolled 1,077 participants who received either the Covid-19 vaccine or a vaccine against meningococcal disease known as MenACWY. Among 35 participants, 91% showed neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 after a single dose of AZD1222, while all 35 did after they received a booster dose. All participants also showed a T-cell response.
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Shares of AstraZeneca were up about 1% on the London Stock Exchange and down more than 2% on the New York Stock Exchange following the news.
Adverse events observed among participants receiving AZD1222 included injection site pain and tenderness, mild-to-moderate headache, fatigue, chills, feverishness, malaise and muscle aches; the painkiller paracetamol was used to mitigate reactions.
AstraZeneca is the latest among several companies to publish interim data from an ongoing clinical trial of a Covid-19 vaccine. While such publications have caused strong reactions in the markets and elicited excitement from the public, it remains unclear whether data showing neutralizing antibodies will translate into long-term protection against SARS-CoV-2. Other companies that have recently published data include Moderna, which published Phase I data last week in The New England Journal of Medicine showing that its vaccine, mRNA-1273, produced neutralizing antibodies at concentrations multiple times higher than those of recovered Covid-19 patients. Others include Chinese firms like CanSino Biologics and Sinovac.
“We are encouraged by the Phase I/II interim data showing AZD1222 was capable of generating a rapid antibody and T-cell response against SARS-CoV-2,” AstraZeneca executive vice president for biopharmaceuticals research and development Mene Pangalos said in a statement. “While there is more work to be done, today’s data increases our confidence that the vaccine will work and allows us to continue our plans to manufacture the vaccine at scale for broad and equitable access around the world.”
The company noted that it is already conducting Phase II/III trials in the U.K., Brazil and South Africa, with plans to start testing AZD1222 soon in the U.S. It had previously said, in mid-June, that it would provide up to 400 million doses of the vaccine at no profit to Europe.
Photo: AstraZeneca
