Oxford University and AstraZeneca have become the first manufacturer to publish the findings of the final stage clinical trial of their vaccine in a scientific journal. The findings of the trail have been released in the Lancet medical journal. The data of the clinical trial confirms that the COVID19 vaccine is effective in an average of 70 percent of COVID19 cases. In recent time, a flurry of positive developments has raised hope that the roll-out of vaccines might be able to end the pandemic, which has claimed more than 1.5 million lives so far and badly hit the societies around the world. The United Kingdom has become the first country in the Western world to begin the vaccination for COVID19. The nation has used a rival vaccine from the US manufactured by Pfizer and BioNtech. The UK government has approved it for general use last week itself. COVID19 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNtech and the biotech firm from the US Moderna have been proved to be 95 percent and 94 percent effective respectively. These firms have given the data from the clinical trials to federal regulators.
Oxford-AstraZeneca has been the first vaccine, which has published its efficacy results from the trial in a scientific journal. The lead author of the study and the director of Oxford vaccine Group Dr. Andrew Pollard has said that they have maintained full transparency about their vaccine by publishing it in a journal. He has said that a range of vaccines needs to do the same. It is not a competition between the manufacturers rather it should be taken as a fight against the virus. The findings of the study have shown that the vaccine is 62 percent effective in people who are given two full doses of the vaccine. At the same time, it is 90 percent effective in people who have been given a half dose first then a full dose. Oxford and AstraZeneca have faced much criticism when they have released an overview of their vaccine last month. The overview has explained that the half dose is being given by mistake. Other experts have raised concerns that the half-dose group, which has 1367 participants, does not include elderly people over the age of 55 years.
Experts who have developed the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine have given additional analysis to reviewers and said that improved outcomes of the half-dose group have not been subjected to other factors such as age. Dr. Andrew Pollard has said that once they have realized the measurement inconsistency, they have included it in the trial after taking approval from the regulators. AstraZeneca has said that it will depend on regulators to decide the dosing recommendations based on the findings of the clinical trial. Other experts have said that the results of the clinical trial are creating a dilemma for drug authorities. The half dose regime of the vaccine has shown better protection but elderly people have not been included in the trail. It is possible that experts have prepared this vaccine to be used in a way where people in the high-risk category might not be protected.
