LONDON, Feb 4, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – Oxford University announced on Thursday it
will launch a medical trial alternating doses of Covid-19 vaccines created by
different manufacturers, the first study of its kind.
The trial will show whether different Covid doses — those created by the
Astrazeneca and Pfizer/BioNTech pharmaceutical companies — can be used
interchangeably to allow greater flexibility in pressured vaccine delivery
schedules.
The British government’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Jonathan Van-Tam,
said the trial would offer “greater insight” into the use of vaccines against
Covid.
“Given the inevitable challenges of immunising large numbers of the
population against Covid-19 and potential global supply constraints, there
are definite advantages to having data that could support a more flexible
immunisation programme,” Van-Tam said.
“It is also even possible that by combining vaccines, the immune response
could be enhanced giving even higher antibody levels that last longer,” he
added.
The 13-month study will compare different combinations of prime and booster
doses of the Astrazeneca and Pfizer vaccines at intervals of four and 12
weeks.
Britain, the first western nation to launch its vaccination programme, has
bucked the international trend by administering vaccines at an interval of 12
weeks in a bid to give a first dose of the vaccine to more individuals.
Professor Matthew Snape from Oxford University called the study “extremely
exciting”, adding that it would provide “information vital to the roll out of
vaccines in the UK and globally”.
If the study shows positive results, Britain’s independent medicines
regulator would formally assess the safety and efficacy of any new
vaccination regimen before it is rolled out to patients.
Disagreements between the UK and the European Union over vaccine supplies
have boiled over in recent weeks with Brussels moving to restrict vaccine
exports to Northern Ireland on Thursday before the plans were abandoned in a
swift U-turn.
In the following days, EU member states and the European Commission have
continued to criticise the English-Swedish drugs manufacturer AstraZeneca
over slow vaccine delivery and the efficacy of the jab has also been called
into question.
On Wednesday, the British government seized on a separate study that said
the AstraZeneca vaccine — which was developed in partnership with Oxford
University — significantly reduces virus transmission and is highly
protective after a single dose.
AstraZeneca and Oxford University said on Wednesday vaccines against new
developing coronavirus variants should be ready by October.