This picture, taken on September 9, 2020, shows a test tube labeled vaccine in front of the AstraZeneca logo.
Dado Ruvik | Reuters
LONDON – British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca said on Monday that its potential Covid-19 vaccine has had similar immune responses in both the elderly and young adults.
Adverse reactions to the vaccine in the elderly – the age group most at risk from coronavirus – were also found to be lower, AstraZeneca said. Maker is developing a potential Covid-19 vaccine for the drug manufacturer in collaboration with Oxford University.
The announcement is expected to boost hopes of developing a covid vaccine before the end of the year.
“It’s encouraging to see that immune responses were similar between older and younger adults and less reactive in older people,” an AstraZeneca spokeswoman told CNBC via email.
Referring to the technical name of the Ox Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, the spokesman said the results constitute a key component for evidence of safety and immunity to AZD1222.
The company’s shares have risen about 0.8% on this news.
Drug manufacturers and research centers are scrambling to deliver a safe and effective vaccine in an effort to end the coronavirus epidemic that has claimed the lives of more than 1.15 million people.
According to the World Health Organization, dozens of candidates have undergone clinical evaluations of the vaccine, with some undergoing late-stage tests before obtaining formal formal approval.
The vaccine, developed by Oxford and the University of AstraZeneca, is considered a pioneer in securing regulatory approval.
AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soirot had previously said the drug manufacturer’s vaccine would provide protection against the coronavirus contract for about a year.
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