The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is effective at preventing people from developing COVID-19 and could reduce viral transmission, according to a new scientific paper from the team behind the vaccine.
The paper also suggests that delaying the second dose to 12 weeks after the first works especially well. The protective effect of the first dose doesn’t appear to wane during these 12 weeks, and leaving a longer gap between doses ultimately seems to make the second more protective.
These promising new findings come from an analysis of clinical trial data, updating a previous paper on the vaccine’s trial results published in early December. However, it’s important to keep in mind that the paper is a preprint – meaning its results haven’t yet been scrutinised formally by other scientists.
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The vaccine of US-based Novavax, a prime contender for use in India, has shown 89.3 per cent efficacy in phase 3 clinical trials conducted in the UK. Its Indian partner, Serum Institute of India (SII), has applied to the regulator to conduct bridge trials here, and is planning to start manufacturing soon in the country. The Nasdaq-listed, company said its vaccine candidate NVX-Co-V2373 had met the primary endpoint. The trial has assessed its efficacy during a period with high transmission and with a new UK strain of the virus. It was conducted in partnership with the British government’s vaccine taskforce. Novavax said the phase 2b trials conducted in South Africa were successful, too.
Mistrust in medical research: a patient perspective
The recent development of several COVID-19 vaccines has placed medical research firmly in the spotlight, highlighting public confusion and misinformation about clinical trials. Patient advocate, Trishna Bharadia reveals what the life sciences industry can do to rebuild trust.
In medical research, trust has traditionally been hard-fought for. Terms like “lab rats” and “guinea pigs” are often used in conversations about clinical trials. For some communities, the historic unethical treatment of participants is also still a raw memory
[1]. People tend to remember when things go wrong, and this casts doubt over procedures and leads to questions about whether we can really trust industry, scientists, and researchers.