AstraZeneca has updated the efficacy of its Coronavirus vaccine after the UK-based pharmaceutical firm came under fire for using outdated data earlier this week.
According to the results of phase-III clinical trials which involved more than 32,400 volunteers across the US, Chile, and Peru, the overall effectiveness of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine has gone down to 76% from the previously reported efficacy rate of 79%.
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Moreover, the effectiveness of the vaccine in adults aged 65 or above has increased to 85% from the previously reported efficacy rate of 80%.
AstraZeneca has once again claimed that its COVID-19 vaccine is 100% effective in preventing severe or critical cases of the disease and hospitalization.
Earlier on Monday, in a bid to seek regulatory approval in the US, AstraZeneca, based on the data of previous phase-III clinical trials, had announced that its COVID-19 vaccine was 79% effective against Coronavirus.
However, the next day, the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) publicly rebuked AstraZeneca and accused it of using outdated figures to expedite the process of receiving regulatory approval.
NIAID also asked AstraZeneca to issue the latest figures based on the recent phase-III clinical trials that were held simultaneously in three countries.
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Experts have noted that the latest data from AstraZeneca’s phase-III clinical trials is particularly significant because it was compiled after more infectious variants of the Coronavirus became prevalent in the US, Chile, and Peru.
So far, AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine has received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) status in more than 70 countries. However, earlier this month, more than a dozen countries, mostly in Europe, temporarily suspended administering AstraZeneca’s vaccine to their citizens as a number of people suffered a rare blood clotting disorder after receiving the vaccine.
AstraZeneca’s scheduled vaccine rollout has also been delayed because last week, the Indian government ordered the Serum Institute of India (SII) to prioritize the massive vaccine requirements of India before rolling out doses for the UK and the rest of the world. The UK-based pharmaceutical company had outsourced the large-scale manufacturing of its COVID-19 vaccine to SII, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer.
