AstraZeneca 79% effective, no blood clot links, latest clinical trial finds
London, Mar 22 (efe-epa).- The Covid-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University has an efficacy of 79% at preventing symptomatic cases and showed no links with increased risk of blood clots, according to findings from a phase III clinical trial in the United States, Chile and Peru published Monday.
The study of over 32,000 volunteers demonstrated the vaccine had a 100% efficacy rate against severe illness and hospitalization, AstraZeneca, the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical firm, said in a statement.
AstraZeneca added that the efficacy rate for the over 65s was 80%.
The findings come shortly after several European countries temporarily suspended their rollout of the AstraZeneca jab after a number of reports of blood clots in people who had received the vaccination.
A “specific review of thrombotic events” carried out by an independent safety committee in the human trials found “no increased risk” of blood clots in the 21,583 participants in the study who received at least one jab of the vaccine.
AstraZeneca is now poised to apply for approval in the US.
“These findings reconfirm previous results observed in AZD1222 trials across all adult populations but it’s exciting to see similar efficacy results in people over 65 for the first time,” said Ann Falsey, Professor of Medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and co-leader of the trial.
“This analysis validates the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine as a much-needed additional vaccination option, offering confidence that adults of all ages can benefit from protection against the virus.”
Andrew Pollard, Professor of Paediatric Infection and Immunity, and Lead Investigator of the Oxford University trial of the vaccine, said: “These results are great news as they show the remarkable efficacy of the vaccine in a new population and are consistent with the results from Oxford-led trials. EFE-EPA
