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CSL staff are seen working in the lab on November 8 in Melbourne, Australia. CSL will begin manufacturing the University of Oxford-AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine starting Monday.
Darrian Traynor | Getty Images News | fake images
LONDON – The coronavirus vaccine being developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca could still be available at a similar time for the other top candidates, according to the director of the Oxford vaccine trial.
The comments come shortly after a peer-reviewed analysis of the phase two trials, published Thursday, showed that the Oxford-AstraZeneca injection triggered a robust immune response in older adults.
The findings have raised hopes that it may protect the age groups most at risk from Covid-19.
Professor Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, said the researchers were “really delighted” with the findings, adding that he was “optimistic” that the phase three data will be available before Christmas.
The first results of the phase three trials will determine the effectiveness of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
Separately, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna have already published preliminary data from their respective phase three trials, and both have been shown to be highly protective against Covid-19 infection.
Drug makers and research centers are scrambling to deliver a vaccine that will help end the coronavirus pandemic that has claimed more than 1.3 million lives so far.
“We are not in a rush and it is not a competition with the other developers. What we are trying to do is make sure that we have very high quality data, working with our partners in the other countries, and being able to present the trial results”, Pollard said during an online press conference Thursday.
“As for when to do it, it will be when it is ready.”
The next step in the process, Pollard explained, would be to provide regulators with all of your data and wait for a decision on the license.
“If that process happens in the proper rush and speed that is appropriate in the pandemic, then things may line up so that there is not much difference in timing between different vaccines,” he said.
“I think to understand exactly what will happen and when, we need to have a lot more information than I don’t have about when, for example, Pfizer or Moderna will deliver their first doses.”
“It’s uncertain from where I look at things, other people will need to answer that,” Pollard said.
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told CNBC earlier this week that the US Food and Drug Administration would act “as quickly as possible” to phase out Pfizer and Moderna’s coronavirus vaccines for use. of emergency.
However, huge challenges remain before any vaccine can be implemented. The global battle to secure potential supplies has raised the alarm about equitable access, while questions remain about logistics, distribution and cost.
