PARIS: 27, NOVEMBER, 2020: AstraZeneca France president Olivier Nataf on Friday said the situation with its COVID-19 vaccine is generally encouraging, even though a new trial will be needed. 

"We are in a context that is encouraging," Nataf told RTL radio. 

AstraZeneca nevertheless experiences questions about its success rate, which some experts say could hinder its chances of gaining speedy US and EU regulatory approval.

Earlier, the COVID-19 vaccine developed by the Oxford University could be around 90pc effective without any serious side effects, AstraZeneca, the latest drugmaker to unveil positive interim data in a scientific race to control a pandemic said on Monday.

As per data from the late-stage trials in Britian and Brazil, the vaccine was 90 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 when it was administered as a half dose followed by a full dose at least one month apart.

Data added that, no serious safety events related to the vaccine have been confirmed and it was well tolerated across both dosing regimens.

British drugs group AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford say their jointly-developed vaccine against COVID-19 has shown "an average efficacy of 70 percent" in trials. 

"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," Pascal Soriot, Astra's chief executive, said in a statement. 

The UK drugmaker's initial trial results show a fresh breakthrough in the battle against a global pandemic. British PM Boris Johnson said it was "incredibly exciting news the Oxford vaccine has proved so effective in trials." 

The interim analysis was based on 131 infections among participants who received the vaccine and those in a control group who were given an established meningitis shot.

The results ranged between 62 and 90-percent efficacy, depending on the vaccine dosage.The 70-percent average is lower compared with the efficacy of coronavirus vaccines trialled by rivals Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna which have come in above 90 percent.

AstraZeneca said it will immediately apply for early approval of the vaccine where possible, and it will seek an emergency use listing from the World Health Organization, so it can make the shot available in low-income countries.

The statement said "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… and no hospitalisations or severe cases of the disease were reported in participants." 

The data showing a range of efficacy between 60 percent and 90 percent comes after US rivals published interim data in recent weeks showing efficacy of more than 90 percent.While the efficacy reading from Astra’s viral vector vaccine is lower than its US rivals, the data will boost confidence about the chances of successfully developing a variety of vaccines using different approaches.

A week earlier, Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech said their vaccine candidate had demonstrated greater than 90 percent efficacy that rose to 95 percent with analysis of full trial data.

The AstraZeneca vaccine uses a modified version of a chimpanzee common cold virus to deliver instructions to cells to fight the target virus, which is different than the new technology known as messenger RNA (mRNA) deployed by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna.

The company — one of the UK’s most valuable listed companies — 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.

Earlier, November 14, the World Health Organization said it is important to rely on vaccines needed to prevent infectious diseases. During an interview with AFP, a top WHO expert warned that public distrust risked rendering even the most effective treatments useless against the pandemic.

Kate O'Brien, director of the World Health Organization's immunisation department, said "A vaccine that sits in a freezer or in a refrigerator or on a shelf and doesn't get used is doing nothing to help shorten this pandemic." 

O'Brien described the preliminary results of the corona vaccine as "extremely important." 

She said she hopes to see results from other corona vaccines being tested soon. If the complete data show that "one or more of these vaccines has very, very substantial efficacy, that is really good news for putting another tool in the toolbox" for fighting the pandemic, she added. 

"We are not going to be successful as a world in controlling the pandemic with the use of vaccines as one of the tools unless people are willing to get vaccinated," O'Brien said. 

The World Health Organization will not compromise on the safety and efficacy of corona vaccines.

"Our goal is to have 20% of every country's population immunized by the end of 2021," said the director of the WHO Vaccination Department. 

Corona vaccine is being tested in various countries, including the United States, Russia, China and the United Kingdom. (04)