AstraZeneca releases updated COVID-19 vaccine data

Updated data from AstraZeneca shows that their COVID-19 vaccine, AZD1222, has 76 percent efficacy against symptomatic infection with the disease.

According to a news release, this primary analysis of Phase III trial data is consistent with the interim data released Monday. It was also shown to be 100 percent effective against severe or critical disease and hospitalization and is 85 percent effective against symptomatic COVID-19 in participants 65 years old or older.

This is a 3 percent drop in overall efficacy from Monday’s interim analysis release and a 5 percent increase in efficacy among patients 65 years old or older, as previously reported.

“The primary analysis is consistent with our previously released interim analysis, and confirms that our COVID-19 vaccine is highly effective in adults, including those aged 65 years and over,” Mene Pangalos, executive vice president of BioPharmaceuticals R&D, says in the release. “We look forward to filing our regulatory submission for Emergency Use Authorization in the US and preparing for the rollout of millions of doses across America.”

The updated analysis comes after the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease released a statement late Monday evening detailing concerns from the Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) about the quality of the AstraZeneca data.

“The DSMB expressed concern that AstraZeneca may have included outdated information from that trial, which may have provided an incomplete view of the efficacy data,” the statement says. “We urge the company to work with the DSMB to review the efficacy data and ensure the most accurate, up-to-date efficacy data be made public as quickly as possible.”