LONDON: AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford have acknowledged a manufacturing error that raises questions about the preliminary results of their experimental Covid-19 vaccine.
A statement describing the mistake on Wednesday came days after the company and the university described the injections as “highly effective” and failed to mention why some study participants did not receive as much vaccine in the first of two injections as expected. .
Surprisingly, the group of volunteers who received one lower dose appeared to be much better protected than the volunteers who received two full doses.
In the low-dose group, AstraZeneca said, the vaccine appeared to be 90% effective. In the group that received two full doses, the vaccine appeared to be 62% effective. Combined, the drug makers said the vaccine appeared to be 70% effective.
But the way companies arrived at and reported results has led to pointed questions from experts.
The partial results announced Monday come from large ongoing studies in the UK and Brazil designed to determine the optimal vaccine dose, as well as examine safety and efficacy. Multiple combinations and doses were tested in the volunteers. They were compared to others who received a meningitis vaccine or a saline injection.
A statement describing the mistake on Wednesday came days after the company and the university described the injections as “highly effective” and failed to mention why some study participants did not receive as much vaccine in the first of two injections as expected. .
Surprisingly, the group of volunteers who received one lower dose appeared to be much better protected than the volunteers who received two full doses.
In the low-dose group, AstraZeneca said, the vaccine appeared to be 90% effective. In the group that received two full doses, the vaccine appeared to be 62% effective. Combined, the drug makers said the vaccine appeared to be 70% effective.
But the way companies arrived at and reported results has led to pointed questions from experts.
The partial results announced Monday come from large ongoing studies in the UK and Brazil designed to determine the optimal vaccine dose, as well as examine safety and efficacy. Multiple combinations and doses were tested in the volunteers. They were compared to others who received a meningitis vaccine or a saline injection.
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