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LONDON: The University of Oxford will begin an initial analysis of data from its late-stage trial of the experimental COVID-19 vaccine it is developing with AstraZeneca after 53 infections among its volunteers, the study’s principal investigator said on Thursday (May 19). November).
Oxford Vaccine Group Director Andrew Pollard told a news conference that there were “many cases” of infections in his phase III trial in Britain, Brazil and South Africa.
The first two interim data sets from Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine trials last week and Moderna on Monday were released after more than 90 infections among volunteers.
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Pfizer had planned to release the initial data after about 60 infections, but exceeded its target after the big jump in infections recently in the United States.
Pollard’s comments came after data released Thursday showed that the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine in Phase II studies produced a strong immune response in older adults, suggesting that those at increased risk of severe illness and death from COVID -19 could be protected.
Pollard said there was no attempt to publish the study in the same week as the data from those companies, the first of the late-stage vaccine trials, but that the study was ready for publication.
Earlier on Thursday, he said he expected Phase III data to be released by Christmas.
Phase III results showing the efficacy of the vaccine will be released through AstraZeneca, in the same way that they have been published by other drug companies over the past week, Pollard said.
He said the trial would also publish the findings in a peer-reviewed medical journal, but that initial data would likely be released before then.
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