AstraZeneca's Covid-19 Vaccine Shows High Efficacy, Set for UK Approval

Strategic Insights -

British drugs group AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford have achieved a "winning formula" for their Covid-19 vaccine, according to the company's chief executive Pascal Soriot. The vaccine, currently being evaluated by Britain's independent medicines regulator, provides 100 percent protection against severe Covid disease requiring hospitalisation. Soriot believes trials will show the vaccine's efficacy equal to other top contenders, including Pfizer-BioNTech at 95 percent and Moderna at 94.5 percent. The UK government has announced that the vaccine developers have submitted their data to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for approval, with a decision expected on Monday.

Key Takeaways:

  • AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine has achieved a "winning formula" for efficacy, providing 100 percent protection against severe Covid disease requiring hospitalisation.
  • The vaccine's efficacy is expected to be equal to other top contenders, including Pfizer-BioNTech at 95 percent and Moderna at 94.5 percent.
  • The UK government has ordered 100 million doses of the vaccine, with the bulk of Britain's vaccine requirements expected to be met.
  • Initial trials showed varying outcomes in the AstraZeneca shot's efficacy, with an average effectiveness of 70 percent, but this jumped to 90 percent depending on dosage.
  • Pascal Soriot, chief executive of AstraZeneca, was "surprised" by the initial findings and believes the data will show a simpler set of results.
  • The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was the first coronavirus shot to be authorised for use by the UK's independent medicines regulator and has been given to hundreds of thousands of the country's most vulnerable people since its rollout last month.

Statistics:

  • 100 percent: protection against severe Covid disease requiring hospitalisation
  • 95 percent: efficacy rate of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine
  • 94.5 percent: efficacy rate of the Moderna vaccine
  • 70 percent: initial average effectiveness of the AstraZeneca shot
  • 90 percent: efficacy rate of the AstraZeneca shot depending on dosage
  • 100 million: number of doses of the vaccine ordered by the UK government
  • December 23: date on which the UK government announced the submission of data to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for approval
  • Monday: date on which the UK government is expected to approve the vaccine

Sources:

  • The Sunday Times newspaper
  • The Sunday Telegraph newspaper
  • BSS (Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha) - official news agency of Bangladesh