- Oxford coronavirus vaccine is currently undergoing final human trials
- Developers of the Oxford vaccine said earlier this month they were encouraged by the immune response they had seen in trials so far
Early-stage human trial data on a vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University will be published on July 20, The Lancet medical journal said. The Oxford vaccine candidate is already in large-scale Phase III human trials in Brazil to assess whether it can protect against COVID-19, but its developers have yet to report Phase I results.
“We expect this paper, which is undergoing final editing and preparation, to be published on Monday, July 20, for immediate release,” Reuters quoted a spokeswoman for the journal as saying.
The Lancet’s statement came after reports said that the Phase I data could be released as soon as Thursday.
Developers of the Oxford vaccine, known as AZD1222, said earlier this month they were encouraged by the immune response they had seen in trials so far and were expecting to publish Phase 1 data by the end of July.
More than 100 vaccines are being developed and tested around the world to try to stop the COVID-19 pandemic, which infected over 1.35 crore people and claimed over 5.8 lakh lives.
Researchers in the United States reported on Tuesday that Moderna Inc’s experimental vaccine showed it was safe and provoked immune responses in all 45 healthy volunteers in an ongoing early-stage study.
Moderna expects to start a Phase III trial on July 27.
Russia on Wednesday said its vaccine trial showed promise. A Russian military hospital discharged the first group of 18 volunteers in a vaccine trial after a 28-day observation period, calling the initial phase a success, according to an emailed statement from the Defense Ministry.
The group had no health complaints, complications or adverse reactions to the vaccine, according to the statement. They will come back for further tests on the 42nd day after their first vaccination.
Meanwhile, China has given the green light to an early-stage human test for a coronavirus vaccine candidate using German firm BioNTech’s technology, its local partner said on Thursday.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, a leading US expert on infectious diseases, on Wednesday predicted the country will meet its goal of a coronavirus vaccine by year’s end.
While there are no guarantees, “I feel good about the projected timetable,” Fauci told Reuters in an interview.
His comments follow promising early-stage data for the Moderna Inc’s coronavirus vaccine, released on Tuesday, that was developed by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which Fauci directs.
