Highlights:
- AstraZeneca and Oxford University acknowledge manufacturing error in COVID-19 vaccine
- The error has raised questions over the preliminary results of the vaccine
- Serum Institute of India says Oxford vaccine is safe and is conducting trials in India
Vaccine manufacturing giant, Serum Institute of India, on Thursday, said that the vaccine for the novel Coronavirus which is developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University is effective as well as safe and the clinical trials in India are progressing smoothly with following the protocols strictly.
The comments from Serum Institute came after Oxford University and pharma firm AstraZeneca admitted of a manufacturing error which has now raised questions over the preliminary results of their experimental COVID-19 vaccine.
In a statement describing the error came days after the firm and the university described their vaccine as “highly effective” and did not mention as to why some study participants did not receive as much vaccine in the first of two shots as expected.
Serum Institute of India asked people to not panic and remain patient and added, “The AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine is safe and effective. Even the lowest efficacy results are at 60-70%, making it a viable vaccine against the virus,” in a statement.
This said, different age groups with different dosage forms will result in slight variations and efficacy. “We must be patient and not panic,” the statement added.
Serum Institute of India is conducting the clinical trials of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca-Oxford in India.
Serum Institute said, “The Indian trials are running smoothly with strict adherence to all the necessary processes and protocols,” and added that “So far, there are no concerns. However, we are going through the data that is available and will make further statement, if needed.”
Earlier this week, the pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca said that an interim analysis of clinical trials of its COVID-19 vaccine, which it developed in partnership with the Oxford University, in the UK and Brazil showed that it was 70% effective on average which drove it to become the third drugmaker to announce promising results to tackle the deadly virus.
The company also said that the Vaccine which has been developed with Oxford University had shown 90% efficacy in one dosing regimen when the COVID-19 vaccine was given as half a dose and followed by a full dosage at least a month later. In the regimen where two full doses were given at least one month apart, 62% efficacy was seen. The company said, “The combined analysis from both dosing regimens resulted in an average efficacy of 70%”.
