The vaccine is now in large-scale phase III of the human trials to assess whether it can protect against COVID-19. It will now be tested on roughly 30,000 people in the United States (U.S.) alone.
The preliminary results of the Phase 1 and 2 trial of Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine developed by the University of Oxford has shown that the vaccine is safe and induces an immune response.
The vaccine is now in large-scale phase III of the human trials to assess whether it can protect against COVID-19. It will now be tested on roughly 30,000 people in the United States (U.S.) alone
According to a release by ‘The Lancet’, a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal, the vaccine provoked an antibody response within 28 days and a T-cell response within 14 days. The trial was conducted on 1,077 people aged between 18to 55 years with no COIVD-19 history.
The vaccine candidate has been developed by the Jenner Institute, a part of the Nuffield Department of Medicine at the University of Oxford. The formulation is backed by the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company, AstraZeneca PLC. It is officially known as AZD1222
Speaking on the occasion, the Study’s Lead Author – Andrew Pollard said, “The immune system has two ways of finding and attacking pathogens – antibody and T cell responses. This vaccine is intended to induce both, so it can attack the virus when it’s circulating in the body, as well as attacking infected cells.”
He further added, “We hope this means the immune system will remember the virus, so that our vaccine will protect people for an extended period.”
While fatigue and headache were the most common reported reactions, other common side effects included pain at the injection site, muscle ache, malaise, chills, feeling feverish and high temperature. There were no serious adverse effects. As per the World Health Organization (WHO), it is one of the 23 COVID-19 vaccines currently in clinical trials globally.
Taking it to twitter, the Editor-in-Chief of Lancet – Richard Horton tweeted, “The phase 1/2 Oxford COVID-19 vaccine trial is now published. The vaccine is safe, well-tolerated, and immunogenic. Congratulations to Pedro Folegatti and colleagues. These results are extremely encouraging.”
The phase 1/2 Oxford COVID-19 vaccine trial is now published. The vaccine is safe, well-tolerated, and immunogenic. Congratulations to Pedro Folegatti and colleagues. These results are extremely encouraging. https://t.co/oQp2eoZYIg
— richard horton (@richardhorton1) July 20, 2020
The Director of the Jenner Institute at Oxford University – Dr. Adrian Hill said, “We are seeing good immune response in almost everybody.”
The vaccine produces neutralizing antibodies, molecules which are key to blocking infection. The vaccine uses a weakened version of chimpanzee adenovirus as a vector, infused with the genetic material of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Adenovirus is a virus that causes the common cold, and so, the safety of the vaccine is assured.
The vaccine is now in large-scale phase III of the human trials to assess whether it can protect against COVID-19. It will now be tested on roughly 30,000 people in the United States (U.S.) alone.
Hill also added, “However, we need more research before we can confirm the vaccine effectively protects against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) infection, and for how long any protection lasts.”
AstraZeneca has already committed to making 2 billion doses. The pharmaceutical company has partnered with Serum Institute of India to produce the vaccine.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Serum Institute of India – Adar Poonawalla said, “We are working on the AstraZeneca Oxford vaccine which is undergoing phase III clinical trials. Besides, we will also start human trials in India in August 2020. Based on the current situation and most recent updates on the clinical trials, we are hoping that the AstraZeneca Oxford vaccine will be available towards the end of 2020.”
Globally, there are 1,45,07,491 cases of COVID-19 and there have been 6,06,173 casualties. U.S. is the worst affected country with 38,34,208 cases and 1,42,601 casualties. It is followed by Brazil having 20,99,896 cases and 79,533 casualties. Next is India with 11,18,043 cases and 27,497 casualties.
