The University of Oxford verified that the Covid-19 vaccine it’s progressing with AstraZeneca Plc produced strong immune responses in older adults in an early study, with pivotal findings from the final phase of trials expected in the coming weeks. Bloomberg reports.
The outcomes, announced Thursday in The Lancet medical journal, cast more light on preliminary data issued in recent months showing the experimental shot generated an immune response in older people, who are at the highest risk of severe illness. Researchers are still actively awaiting late-stage trial results that will determine whether the Astra-Oxford vaccine can meet the high bar set by front-runners Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc.
The results of Oxford’s phase 2 study point that the vaccine is better endured in older people and produces a similar immune response in old and young adults. The vaccine causes few side effects and prompts a response in T-cells that target the virus within 14 days of the first dose and a protective antibody response within 28 days of the booster dose. The study involved 560 adults, including 240 over the age of 70.
