LONDON, Nov 23 (Reuters) - AstraZeneca will start
discussions this week with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) to change the design of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine
trial to add a likely more effective dosage regime, a senior
executive said on Monday.
The British drugmaker on Monday released interim data from
late-stage trials that showed the shot was on average about 70%
effective in preventing coronavirus.
The executive said the company will need to change the
design of its U.S. trials, which are continuing, to include the
potential for two different dose regimens.
"In terms of how quickly, we will try and do that as quickly
as possible," said Mene Pangalos, executive vice president of
biopharmaceuticals research and development, adding it would be
a "matter of weeks".
He said the regimen that includes a half dose being
administered followed by a full dose one month later was better
tolerated than using two full doses.
(Reporting by Alistair Smout, Kate Kelland, Kate Holton and Guy
Faulconbridge; writing by Josephine Mason; editing by Jason
Neely)