Oxford vaccine is up to 90 percent effective

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After Pfizer, Biontech and Moderne, AstraZeneca, together with the University of Oxford, also submitted data on its vaccine.

In the search for a corona vaccine, a third vaccine project has reported a study success. Following the duo BioNTech and Pfizer as well as the US group Moderna, the British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, together with the University of Oxford, also presented positive data on the efficacy of its vaccine.

AstraZeneca announced on Monday that the vaccine could achieve an efficacy of around 90 percent against Covid-19. No serious side effects have been reported. “The efficacy and safety of this vaccine confirm that it will be highly effective against Covid-19,” said CEO Pascal Soriot.

Different dosages
Approximately 90 percent efficacy was achieved when AstraZeneca’s vaccine was administered as a half dose followed by a full dose at least one month apart.

Another dosage scheme showed an efficacy of 62 percent when two full doses were given at least one month apart. A combined analysis of both dosage scheme showed an average effectiveness of 70 percent.

“Fantastic News”
The British Minister of Health, Matt Hancock, assessed the data as “fantastic news”. “We have ordered 100 million doses and if all goes well, most of the delivery will be in the new year,” he told Sky News. The British government hopes for a gradual return to normality after Easter.

Numerous governments have already secured millions of doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in advance, and the European Commission has also signed a purchase agreement.

AstraZeneca is one of the leading companies in the race for a Covid 19 vaccine. Biontech and Pfizer are already heading for emergency approval in the USA. They applied for it on Friday and expect it by mid-December. Moderna also plans to apply for it in the near future.

Conventional production method
While Biontech and Moderna’s vaccines are based on a completely new technology, AstraZeneca’s vaccine is based on a traditional manufacturing process.

The vaccine being developed with the University of Oxford is a so-called vector vaccine based on adenoviruses from monkeys. It is designed to introduce genetic material from the virus into human cells and cause the immune system to respond by producing antibodies.

The vaccines from Biontech and Moderna, on the other hand, are based on so-called messenger RNA (mRNA), which is intended to provide human cells with the information they need to produce proteins and thus fight the pathogens. It should be possible to produce such a vaccine on a large scale more quickly than conventional ones. However, it also requires higher cooling, which makes logistics more difficult. There is also a lack of long-term experience, as no mRNA drug or vaccine has yet made it onto the market.

Biontech’s vaccine showed an efficacy of 95 percent after two doses and Moderna’s vaccine showed 94.5 percent protection against Covid-19 after two doses.