Avoiding the dramatic rebuke of government researchers and independent experts, AstraZeneca announced Wednesday night that a new analysis found its Covid-19 vaccine to be 76% effective, with a comp 76 percent effectiveness estimate compared to the proposed CO percent. Press release on Monday.
According to an independent board of experts tasked with overseeing vaccine trials and data analysis, the new estimate is even higher. The Trial Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) sent a very unusual letter to AstraZeneca immediately after the press release on Monday, noting that the trial data found during the February and March meetings indicated that the vaccine’s effectiveness was actually 100 percent. And percent was between 74 percent.
“The DSMB is concerned that AstraZeneca has chosen to use already old and potentially misleading data in its press release,” the letter said. “The point that is clear to the board is that [vaccine efficacy number]… They chose to publish the most favorable for the study, as the latest and most complete opponent. Decisions like these undermine people’s confidence in the scientific process. “
In a similarly spectacular statement issued early Tuesday, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases echoed the point that AstraZeneca’s Monday press report “provided an incomplete view of the efficacy data.”
“We urge the company to work closely with DSMB to review the effectiveness data and to release the most accurate, up-to-date effectiveness data as soon as possible,” the NIAID said in a statement.
However, AstraZeneca has by its previous effectiveness estimates. In a statement on Wednesday night, the company said the latest estimate was “consistent with the pre-determined interim analysis released on Monday, March 22, 2021.”
New numbers
According to the company, the new analysis of 32,449-person hearings included 190 qualifying cases, with 141 features included in the analysis since Monday.
Based on those 1 cases, the vaccine was found to be 76% effective, preventing pathological disease occurring 1 day a day or more after receiving a second dose of two doses, which were given four weeks apart. The confidence interval for the estimate – which indicates a reasonable range of effectiveness based on the data – is between 68 percent and 826 percent, the company notes.
AstraZeneca added that, as before, the effectiveness of the vaccine appeared comparable across age groups, with approximately 85 percent effectiveness in people 65 years of age or older. The vaccine reappeared to prevent serious disease. Eight cases of the new COVID-19 were included in the new analysis, all of which were among the placebo recipients. Any participant who has been vaccinated does not need to be hospitalized and the company still has no safety concerns from the vaccine.
“The preliminary analysis is consistent with our previously published interim analysis, and confirms that our Covid-19 vaccine is highly effective in adults, including those 65 years of age or older.” “We look forward to filing our regulatory submissions for Emergency Use Authorization in the U.S. and preparing for the rollout of millions of doses across the United States.”
The announcement noted that the latest results “have been presented to the Independent Data Safety Monitoring Board.”
