The Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine fails to prevent mild and moderate cases of the South African COVID-19 strain, research reported in the Financial Times showed.
However, the pharma group said that it could still have an effect on severe disease — although there is not yet enough data to make a definitive judgement.
Among coronavirus variants currently most concerning for scientists and public health experts are the British, South African and Brazilian variants, which appear to spread more swiftly than others.
“In this small phase one/two trial, early data has shown limited efficacy against mild disease primarily due to the B.1.351 South African variant,” an AstraZeneca spokesman said in response to the Financial Times report.
The newspaper said that none of the trial participants had been hospitalized or died.
“However, we have not been able to properly ascertain its effect against severe disease and hospitalization given that subjects were predominantly young healthy adults,” the AstraZeneca spokesman said.
The company said it believed its vaccine could protect against severe disease, given that the neutralizing antibody activity was equivalent to that of other COVID-19 vaccines that have demonstrated protection against severe disease.
The trial, which involved 2,026 people, of whom half formed the placebo group, has not been peer-reviewed, the Financial Times said.
The study by South Africa’s University of the Witwatersrand and Oxford University is due to be published today.
“We may not be reducing the total number of cases, but there is still protection against deaths, hospitalizations and severe disease,” said Sarah Gilbert, who led the development of the vaccine with the Oxford Vaccine Group.
It could also be “some time” before they determine its effectiveness for older people in fighting the strain, she told BBC television.
Researchers are working to update the vaccine, and “have a version with the South African spike sequence in the works” that they would “very much like” to be ready for the autumn, Gilbert said.
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