Coronavirus: AstraZeneca and Oxford will produce a …

The laboratory AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford plans to produce for fall the next generation of vaccines to fight the coronavirus, which offers protection against new variants of the virus.

“We are working very hard and we are already talking not only about the variants that we have to produce in the laboratory, but also about the clinical studies that we have to carry out,” said the head of research at the firm. Mene Pangalos.

When asked when AstraZeneca could produce the new vaccine, the specialist announced that the goal “is to try to have something ready for fall (boreal), which is to say this year ”and“ as soon as possible ”.

In this direction, Pangalos said vaccine adjustment “is a rapid process compared to initial development”. Further, from the pharmaceutical company, they explained that only the genetic sequence on the “spike” proteins would be changed. increase contagiousness in the new variants, then a smaller-scale study would be conducted to verify their safety.

The update could be used as a booster for people who have already received another vaccine or it could be used on its own for those who have not yet been vaccinated.

According to estimated projections, most of the population in developed countries would already be vaccinated by September, but the scenario would be different in low-income regions.

For his part, the professor Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, warned that the virus will continue to mutate and that “in the future we will see infections even in the vaccinated population”, but the important thing is to reduce the severity of the disease and the hospitalizations.

On the other hand, the expert reported that the pharmaceutical company is on the verge of obtaining data on the effectiveness of its covid-19 vaccine in the elderly, an issue that is controversial and critical around the world.

Pangalos also spoke on this issue, assuring that there will be “more data on the effects on people over 65 in the weeks and months to come” and stressed that “there are data which show that it is safe and effective.

In turn, Pollard expressed confidence that the vaccine is effective in the case of the British variant, but stressed the effectiveness of the preparation in reducing hospitalizations and preventing people from becoming seriously ill.

“We are working hard to provide more data on the Kent (UK) variant as it is circulating here in the UK,” so “we will have new data soon,” he added.

A preliminary study from the University of Oxford, published yesterday, claims that this vaccine is 76% effective for three months after the first dose.

And he points out that this formulation protects against symptoms of covid-19 from day 22 after receiving the first dose, when the immune system has already generated antibodies.