Oxford-AstraZeneca begins trial of booster shot to counter variant of Covid
Premium- The first participants in a phase II/III trial for the new Covid variant vaccine — AZD2816 — were vaccinated on 27 June
Oxford-AstraZeneca has begun the trial of its booster shot, named AZD2816, against the Beta variant of Covid. Beta variant was first identified in South Africa.
On Sunday, AstraZeneca informed that the first participants in a phase II/III trial for the new Covid variant vaccine — AZD2816 — were vaccinated on 27 June to assess its safety and immunogenicity in both previously vaccinated and unvaccinated adults.
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The trial will recruit approximately 2,250 participants across UK, South Africa, Brazil and Poland.
The booster jab will be administered to individuals who have previously been fully vaccinated with two doses of Vaxzevria or an mRNA vaccine, at least three months after their last injection.
In non-vaccinated individuals, the booster shot will be given as two doses, four or twelve weeks apart, or given as a second dose following a first dose of Vaxzevria four weeks apart.
The booster jab has been designed using the same adenoviral vector platform as Vaxzevria, with minor genetic alterations to the spike protein based on the Beta (B.1.351) variant.
“Testing booster doses of existing vaccines and new variant vaccines is important to ensure we are best prepared to stay ahead of the coronavirus pandemic, should their use be needed," said Professor Sir Andrew J Pollard, chief investigator and director of the Oxford Vaccine Group at the University of Oxford:
Sir Mene Pangalos, Executive Vice President, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, said: "It is important we continue to stay ahead of genetically distinct variants of the coronavirus. AZD2816 should help broaden individuals immune response against emerging variants of concern. Initiating the Phase II/III trial for AZD2816 means we can be prepared should a variant vaccine be required in the future."
Initial data from the trial is expected later this year and, once available, will be submitted to regulators for assessment as a next-generation booster vaccine and through an expedited regulatory pathway, AstraZeneca said in a statement on Sunday.
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