LONDON, Nov 23 (Reuters) - The Oxford/AstraZeneca
COVID-19 vaccine candidate's late-stage trial results are
"intriguing" and more work needs to be done on the finding that
an initial half dose of the shot offers more protection,
Oxford's vaccine chief said on Monday.
Phase III trial results of the vaccine candidate found it
was 90% effective if administered at a half dose and then at a
full dose, or 62% effective if administered in two full doses.
"That 90% is an intriguing result. So when we give a half
dose as the first dose (it) means that we've got more vaccine
available. And then... after the second dose we see 90%
protection," Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine
Group, told BBC TV.
"I think that's a really exciting and intriguing result
which we need to dig further into," he said.
(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; writing by Alistair Smout;
editing by Michael Holden)