GENEVA, March 22 (Reuters) - More producers of COVID-19
vaccines should follow the example of AstraZeneca and
license their technology to other manufacturers, the head of the
World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday, as he described
vaccine inequity as "grotesque".
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted that
the drugmaker said earlier that interim data from trials found
the vaccine, developed in conjunction with Oxford University,
was 79% effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 and,
crucially, posed no increased risk of blood clots.
"This data is further evidence that the AstraZeneca vaccine
is safe and effective," Tedros told a news conference.
(Reporting by John Miller, Emma Farge and Silke Koltrowitz;
writing by Stephanie Nebehay)