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AstraZeneca Vaccine: AZD1222 vaccine met primary
efficacy endpoint in preventing COVID-19
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Oxford's chief investigator in the trials, Prof. Andrew Pollard, said the results mean the vaccine "may be around 90% effective." Oxford and AstraZeneca's vaccine uses a more traditional approach than the Moderna and Pfizer shots, which both rely on a new technology called messenger RNA to induce an immune response inside the body. AstraZeneca's vaccine instead relies on introducing a weakened, chimpanzee virus into the body to trigger the immune response.....The regimen using a half dose for the first dose would also mean more people could be vaccinated with planned supplies, he and AstraZeneca executives said.....Prof. Sarah Gilbert, one of Oxford's lead scientists on the vaccine, said researchers are digging into why the half-dose regimen has shown to be more effective. She said it could be that the lower first dose better mimics the natural human immune system, coaxing the body to be ready for an eventual fight against the virus in a way that makes the second, standard dose more effective.....Like with other Covid-19 vaccines in development, researchers don't yet know how long the positive effects of the shot last, which is key to understanding the required frequency of vaccination. It will also affect overall effectiveness in preventing the spread of the disease and helping jump-start stricken economies.....Some researchers also said that it will be important to compare the effectiveness and safety of the leading vaccine candidates side by side. Oxford and AstraZeneca officials said such comparisons are difficult at this stage, but added that different shots are likely to be effective in different people, which scientists expect to be a positive for fending off serious Covid-19 symptoms and halting the virus's spread.....The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine trials ultimately will enroll as many as 60,000 participants globally. The U.K. drugmaker said that the full analysis of the results is being submitted for peer review...The results released Monday were based on trials involving more than 23,000 participants. Individuals who received the vaccine, called AZD1222, received one of two combinations: a half dose followed by a full dose, which showed to be 90% effective; or two full doses, which were 62% effective. Researchers said Monday the preliminary results were promising but will need to be fleshed out before scientists can understand why the half-dose regimen was more effective. They said more than 3,000 of the overall trial participants received the half-dose regimen....."The report that an initial half-dose is better than a full dose seems counterintuitive for those of us thinking of vaccines as normal drugs: With drugs, we expect that higher doses have bigger effects, and more side-effects," he said. "But the immune system does not work like that.".....Soriot said Monday that the Oxford vaccine's simpler supply chain and AstraZeneca's commitment to provide it on a nonprofit basis during the pandemic mean it will be affordable and available to people around the world.....The vaccine uses a weakened version of a common cold virus that is combined with genetic material for the characteristic spike protein of the virus that causes COVID-19. After vaccination, the spike protein primes the immune system to attack the virus if it later infects the body....The vaccine can be transported under "normal refrigerated conditions" of 2 to 8 degrees Celsius (36 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit), AstraZeneca said.....The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is also cheaper. AstraZeneca, which has pledged it won't make a profit on the vaccine during the pandemic, has reached agreements with governments and international health organizations that put its cost at about $2.50 a dose. Pfizer's vaccine costs about $20 a dose, while Moderna's is $15 to $25, based on agreements the companies have struck to supply their vaccines to the U.S. government. AstraZeneca will seek regulatory permission to alter its U.S. trials as quickly as possible based on these results in order to test more participants using the more-effective half-dose regimen, executives said Monday. More than 10,000 people in the U.S. have received the full-dose schedule, AstraZeneca said, adding that it hopes to add the half-dose schedule within a matter of weeks. The FDA must sign off on any new trial protocols and ultimately authorize the shot's use in the U.S. The differing trial time lines mean that the vaccine could be available in the U.K., Europe and elsewhere before the U.S.
https://apnews.com/article/oxford-coronavirus-pandemic-c99d26eb2946f6fde45a1edc002ff028
and
https://www.wsj.com/articles/astrazeneca-oxford-covid-19-vaccine-up-to-90-effective-in-late-stage-trials-11606116047
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AstraZeneca Vaccine
AZD1222 vaccine met primary efficacy endpoint in preventing COVID-19
Two different dosing regimens demonstrated efficacy with one showing a better profile
No hospitalisations or severe cases of COVID-19 in participants treated with AZD1222
https://www.astrazeneca.com/content/astraz/media-centre/press-releases/2020/azd1222hlr.html
Positive high-level results from an interim analysis of clinical trials of AZD1222 in the UK and Brazil showed the vaccine was highly effective in preventing COVID-19, the primary endpoint, and no hospitalisations or severe cases of the disease were reported in participants receiving the vaccine. There were a total of 131 COVID-19 cases in the interim analysis.
One dosing regimen (n=2,741) showed vaccine efficacy of 90% when AZD1222 was given as a half dose, followed by a full dose at least one month apart, and another dosing regimen (n=8,895) showed 62% efficacy when given as two full doses at least one month apart. The combined analysis from both dosing regimens (n=11,636) resulted in an average efficacy of 70%. All results were statistically significant (p<=0.0001). More data will continue to accumulate and additional analysis will be conducted, refining the efficacy reading and establishing the duration of protection.
An independent Data Safety Monitoring Board determined that the analysis met its primary endpoint showing protection from COVID-19 occurring 14 days or more after receiving two doses of the vaccine. No serious safety events related to the vaccine have been confirmed. AZD1222 was well tolerated across both dosing regimens.
AstraZeneca will now immediately prepare regulatory submission of the data to authorities around the world that have a framework in place for conditional or early approval. The Company will seek an Emergency Use Listing from the World Health Organization for an accelerated pathway to vaccine availability in low-income countries. In parallel, the full analysis of the interim results is being submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
Professor Andrew Pollard, Chief Investigator of the Oxford Vaccine Trial at Oxford, said: "These findings show that we have an effective vaccine that will save many lives. Excitingly, we've found that one of our dosing regimens may be around 90% effective and if this dosing regime is used, more people could be vaccinated with planned vaccine supply. Today's announcement is only possible thanks to the many volunteers in our trial, and the hard working and talented team of researchers based around the world."
Pascal Soriot, Chief Executive Officer, said: "Today marks an important milestone in our fight against the pandemic. This vaccine's efficacy and safety confirm that it will be highly effective against COVID-19 and will have an immediate impact on this public health emergency. Furthermore, the vaccine's simple supply chain and our no-profit pledge and commitment to broad, equitable and timely access means it will be affordable and globally available, supplying hundreds of millions of doses on approval."
The pooled analysis included data from the COV002 Phase II/III trial in the UK and COV003 Phase III trial in Brazil. Over 23,000 participants are being assessed following two doses of either a half-dose/full-dose regimen or a regimen of two full doses of AZD1222 or a comparator, meningococcal conjugate vaccine called MenACWY or saline. The global trials are evaluating participants aged 18 years or over from diverse racial and geographic groups who are healthy or have stable underlying medical conditions.
Clinical trials are also being conducted in the US, Japan, Russia, South Africa, Kenya and Latin America with planned trials in other European and Asian countries. In total, the Company expects to enrol up to 60,000 participants globally.
The Company is making rapid progress in manufacturing with a capacity of up to 3 billion doses of the vaccine in 2021 on a rolling basis, pending regulatory approval. The vaccine can be stored, transported and handled at normal refrigerated conditions (2-8 degrees Celsius/ 36-46 degrees Fahrenheit) for at least six months and administered within existing healthcare settings.
AstraZeneca continues to engage with governments, multilateral organisations and collaborators around the world to ensure broad and equitable access to the vaccine at no profit for the duration of the pandemic.
COV002
COV002 is a single-blinded, multi-centre, randomised, controlled Phase II/III trial assessing the safety, efficacy and immunogenicity of AZD1222 in 12,390 participants in the UK. Trial participants to date are aged 18 years or over, who are healthy or have medically stable chronic diseases and are at increased risk for being exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Participants receive one or two intramuscular doses of a half dose (~2.5 x1010 viral particles) or full dose (~5x1010 viral particles) of AZD1222 or comparator, meningococcal vaccine MenACWY. Participants have blood samples drawn and clinical assessments for safety as well as immunogenicity at multiple timepoints up to one year post-vaccination. Suspected cases presenting with compatible symptoms were tested for virological confirmation by COVID-19 PCR. In addition, weekly swabbing are done for detection of infection and assessment of vaccine efficacy against infection.
COV003
COV003 is a single-blinded, multi-centre, randomised, controlled Phase III trial assessing the safety, efficacy, and immunogenicity of AZD1222 in 10,300 participants in Brazil. Trial participants to date are aged 18 years or over, who are healthy or have medically stable chronic diseases and are at increased risk for being exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Participants are randomised to receive two intramuscular doses of a full dose (~5x1010 viral particles) of AZD1222 or comparator, meningococcal vaccine MenACWY as first dose and a saline placebo as second dose. Participants have blood samples drawn and clinical assessments for safety as well as immunogenicity at multiple timepoints up to one year post-vaccination. Suspected cases presenting with compatible symptoms were tested for virological confirmation by COVID-19 PCR.
AZD1222
AZD1222 was co-invented by the University of Oxford and its spin-out company, Vaccitech. It uses a replication-deficient chimpanzee viral vector based on a weakened version of a common cold virus (adenovirus) that causes infections in chimpanzees and contains the genetic material of the SARS-CoV-2 virus spike protein. After vaccination, the surface spike protein is produced, priming the immune system to attack the SARS-CoV-2 virus if it later infects the body.
AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/Nasdaq: AZN) is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialisation of prescription medicines, primarily for the treatment of diseases in three therapy areas - Oncology, Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism, and Respiratory & Immunology. Based in Cambridge, UK, AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. Please visit astrazeneca.com and follow the Company on Twitter @AstraZeneca.
Contacts
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Adrian Kemp
Company Secretary
AstraZeneca PLC
Veeva ID: Z4-29105
Date of Preparation: November 2020
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