Coronavirus: AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine ‘offers up to 90 per cent’ protection in trials

Vaccine candidate appears to reduce transmission of asymptomatic infections and can be easily stored and distributed

Smaller dose of drug seems to be more effective but more investigation needed, developers say

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Researchers from Oxford University have worked with AstraZeneca on a potential coronavirus vaccine. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 9:32pm, 23 Nov 2020Updated: 8:39am, 24 Nov 2020

A potential coronavirus vaccine developed by British drugmaker AstraZeneca and Oxford University offered as much as 90 per cent protection without serious side effects in its phase 3 human trials, according to its developers.

Interim analysis of the clinical trials, involving more than 24,000 participants in Britain and Brazil, found 131 cases of Covid-19 – the disease caused by the coronavirus – by November 4, with none of those vaccinated hospitalised or developing into severe cases, a sign that the vaccine is working to prevent serious illness.

A number of other vaccine candidates have announced promising interim results in the last few weeks but the AZ-Oxford prospect stands out because it appears to reduce transmission of asymptomatic infections.

Two other candidates – one by US pharmaceutical company Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech, and the other by US biological company Moderna – both achieved efficacy as high as 95 per cent but only in terms of protection from symptomatic disease – they did not measure for asymptomatic infections.

The AZ-Oxford vaccine is also easier to store and distribute, requiring a constant temperature of 2-8 degrees Celsius (35.6-46.4 degrees Fahrenheit), or within the range that most drugs are now kept.