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(Sharecast News) - AstraZeneca's potential Covid-19 vaccine showed a strong immune response in older people, suggesting it may protect some of those most susceptible to the virus, trial data showed.
The data indicate that people aged 70 or older could build significant immunity to Covid-19 from the vaccine, developed with Oxford University. The information was published in full in the Lancet following a partial report in October.
"The robust antibody and T-cell responses seen in older people in our study are encouraging," Maheshi Ramasamy, a consultant and investigator at the Oxford Vaccine Group, told Reuters.
"The populations at greatest risk of serious Covid-19 disease include people with existing health conditions and older adults. We hope that this means our vaccine will help to protect some of the most vulnerable people in society, but further research will be needed before we can be sure."
Phase 3 trials are taking place to confirm the findings and test whether the vaccine protects against Covid-19 in a wide range of people including those with underlying health problems. The first efficacy data from the late-stage trials may come in the next few weeks, the Lancet said.
AstraZeneca and Oxford's potential vaccine has been seen as one of the leading candidates for protecting against Covid-19, which has killed more than 1.2m people worldwide and hammered economies as governments have sought to contain the virus.
Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna have stolen a march by releasing late stage trial data showing their vaccines are more than 90% effective but experts have said several vaccines will be needed to combat the disease.
AstraZeneca shares rose 0.2% to £81.98 at 09:49 GMT.
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