According to a study recently published in The Lancet journal, ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, the Coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, a British pharmaceutical company, is safe and effective.
The Lancet study details the results of advanced-stage clinical trials of the Oxford/ AstraZeneca vaccine. Around 23,848 volunteers participated in the advanced stage clinical trials that were held between 23 April and 4 November this year.
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The study states that volunteers who received two standard doses of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine reported 62·1% efficacy while volunteers who received a low dose followed by a standard dose reported 90% efficacy.
As for safety, only three adverse events related to the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine were reported during the advanced stage clinical trials, which is more than enough for the regulators to declare it to have an acceptable safety profile and be efficacious against symptomatic COVID-19.
CEO AstraZeneca, Pascal Soriot, said these findings show that the vaccine is effective against COVID-19, adding that the company has already started submitting data to healthcare regulators around the world for approval.
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Executive Vice-President AstraZeneca, Sir Mene Pangalos, expressed hope that the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine could play an important role in breaking the transmission chain of the Coronavirus pandemic as it is cheaper than other COVID-19 vaccines and easier to store and distribute.
Last month, Oxford researchers had published the findings of the phase-II clinical trials of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, revealing that the vaccine is more effective among older adults, who have disproportionately been affected during the COVID-19 pandemic.
