Serum CEO Adar Poonawalla 'delighted' as Oxford's COVID-19 vaccine shows over 70% efficacy

Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla said on November 23 that he is “delighted” to know the Oxford University’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed with AstraZeneca has shown efficacy up to 90 per cent. After Oxford made the announcement on Monday of its vaccine candidate being 90% and 62% efficient in two different types of dosages, making the entire efficacy over 70%, Poonawalla took to Twitter to welcome the ‘low-cost’ and easy to store vaccine. 

While more details are awaited by the end of November 23, Poonawalla has already said last week that the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine should be available for healthcare workers and elderly people by around February next year and by April for the general citizens.

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In the latest “important milestone” in world’s fight against the pandemic, Oxford University has announced on November 23 that its COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed in collaboration with AstraZeneca is 70.4% effective against the highly-infectious disease. It is both a triumph but also a matter of disappointment because Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna have already declared their respective vaccine candidates to be 95% and 94% efficient against COVID-19. However, Oxford and AstraZeneca’s vaccine is reportedly far cheaper and is comparatively easier to store and transport to even remote areas of the world. 

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Oxford COVID-19 vaccine’s efficacy in two doses

Announcing the interim trial data from its Phase 3 trials, Oxford University said in a statement that its vaccine candidate ChAdOx1 nCoV-2019 has shown more than 70 per cent efficacy after the analysis included 131 COVID-19 cases. Testing in two different test regimes, the vaccine was 90% efficient in one and 62% efficient in another. According to the statement, “higher efficacy regimen used a halved first dose and standard second dose.” Easier to refrigerate, the Oxford-AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine will play a significant role in tackling the global health crisis. 

‘The announcement today takes us another step closer to the time when we can use vaccines to bring an end to the devastation caused by SARS-CoV-2. We will continue to work to provide detailed information to regulators. It has been a privilege to be part of this multi-national effort which will reap benefits for the whole world,” said the vaccine's architect Professor Sarah Gilbert.

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