New Delhi is the capital of India. Vaxzevria, when given as a third dosage booster, boosted antibody response to the Omicron version, according to early results from an ongoing safety and immunogenicity study, announced AstraZeneca on Thursday.
The company’s COVID-19 vaccine Vaxzevria booster dose also boosted immune response against Beta, Delta, Alpha, and Gamma SARS-CoV-2 strains, according to the research.
The findings were seen in those who had previously been immunized with Vaxzevria or an mRNA vaccine.
“This is encouraging news, as per Professor Sir Andrew J Pollard, chief investigator and director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, new data from ongoing Astazeneca/Oxford vaccine trials has shown that three doses give good protection against the disease,” Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla said in a tweet.
The Vaxzevria vaccine is made and supplied by the Serum Institute of India under the brand Covishield under a sub-licence arrangement with AstraZeneca.
“Vaxzevria has protected hundreds of millions of people from COVID-19 around the world, and these data show that it has an important role to play as a third dose booster, including when used after other vaccines,” said Mene Pangalos, AstraZeneca’s senior vice-president (biopharmaceuticals R&D).
Given the pandemic’s continuous urgency and Vaxzevria’s heightened immunological response to the Omicron version, the business will continue to forward regulatory filings for its use as a third dosage booster across the world, he said.
“These important studies show that a third dose of Vaxzevria after two initial doses of the same vaccine, or after mRNA or inactivated vaccines, strongly boosts immunity against COVID-19,” stated Andrew J. Pollard, lead investigator and director of the Oxford Vaccine Group at the University of Oxford. The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is an alternative for nations contemplating booster programs to build population immunity, he said, adding to the protection previously established with the first two doses.
It comprises the genetic material of the SARS-CoV-2 virus spike protein and is based on a replication-deficient chimpanzee viral vector based on a weaker variant of a common cold virus (adenovirus) that causes illnesses in chimps. The surface spike protein is created after vaccination, preparing the immune system to combat the SARS-CoV-2 virus if it infects the body later.
In more than 90 countries, the vaccine has received conditional marketing authorization or emergency use authorization.
It also has the World Health Organization’s emergency use listing, which expedites access in up to 144 countries through the COVAX facility.