Oxford's COVID-19 vaccine shows over 70% efficacy as India looks to give emergency use nod

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. 

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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What does this mean for India?

Oxford University’s announcement came after NITI Aayog member and chairman of the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration Dr Vinod Paul reportedly said that India may grant Pune’s Serum Institute of India (SII) with the emergency use authorisation of Oxford and AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine following the UK nod. The British government has already pre-ordered 100 million doses of the same vaccine with a target to immunise 50 million people. The promising results of Oxford-AstraZeneca have pushed it closer to emergency use authorisation in the UK which is likely to give India an opportunity to consider the same. 

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