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The University of Oxford confirmed that the Covid-19 vaccine it is developing with AstraZeneca Plc produced strong immune responses in older adults in a preliminary study, and key findings are expected from the final phase of trials in the coming weeks.
The results, published Thursday in the medical journal The Lancet, shed more light on preliminary data published in recent months showing that the experimental injection elicited an immune response in older people, who are at increased risk of severe disease.
Researchers are still anxiously awaiting late-stage trial results that will show whether the Astra-Oxford vaccine can meet the high standard set by pioneers Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc.
Shares of AstraZeneca rose 1.1% early Thursday morning in London.
The late-stage findings will follow a string of positive news on the vaccine front. Pfizer, in collaboration with Germany’s BioNTech SE, said Wednesday that a final analysis of the trial data showed its Covid vaccine to be 95% effective, paving the way for the company to apply for the first regulatory clearance from the US. For a coronavirus vaccine in a few days. Modern seems equally effective.
Results from the phase 2 Oxford study show that the vaccine is better tolerated in older people and produces a similar immune response in young adults and the elderly. The study involved 560 adults, including 240 over the age of 70.
That follows findings in older participants released last month and data in July that showed the vaccine elicited strong immune responses in adults ages 18 to 55. Older patients have been the hardest hit by the pandemic, with the vast majority of deaths occurring in those over 60 years of age.
“Inducing robust immune responses in older adults has been a long-standing challenge,” Angela Minassian, an Oxford researcher, wrote in a statement. “Demonstrating that this vaccine technology is capable of inducing these responses, in the group at highest risk for severe Covid-19 disease, offers hope that the efficacy of the vaccine will be similar in young and older adults.”
Oxford expects end-stage efficacy results in the coming weeks, according to its statement.
The study shows that the vaccine causes few side effects and elicits a T-cell response that targets the virus within 14 days of the first dose and a protective antibody response within 28 days of the booster dose. , according to the report.
Neutralization levels were achieved 14 days after a booster vaccination in 208 of 209 recipients.
Read: Covid-19 ‘95% effective ‘vaccines could start rolling out sooner than you think
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