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(Alliance News) - AstraZeneca PLC on Friday said results from a recent study show its Covid-19 vaccine is "highly effective" after one dose against severe disease or hospitalisation caused by all major variants of the coronavirus.
The vaccine was 82% effective against hospitalisation and death caused by the Beta and Gamma variants, real-world data from Canada showed. Effectiveness rises to 87% against the Delta variant and 90% against the Alpha variant.
The effectiveness of Vaxzevria - the official name of the vaccine - after one dose against hospitalisation or death was similar to that of other vaccines tested in the study, the Cambridge-based pharmaceutical company said.
Against mild symptoms, the vaccine was 50% effective against the Beta and Gamma variants after one dose, 70% against Delta and 72% against Alpha. The shot is known to be more effective against mild symptoms after two doses, AstraZeneca added.
"With different variants threatening to disrupt our route out of the pandemic, this real-world evidence shows that Vaxzevria, along with other vaccines used in Canada, provides a high level of protection against the most serious forms of the disease, even after just one shot," commented Mene Pangalos, executive vice president at Astra's BioPharmaceuticals Research & Development unit.
The follow-up time was not sufficient to report on the effectiveness of the vaccine after two doses, although other studies have shown an increased effectiveness following the indicated two dose schedule. The study was conducted by the Canadian Immunization Research Network.
The vaccine was co-invented by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford's spin-out company, Vaccitech. It has been granted a conditional marketing authorisation or emergency use in more than 80 countries across six continents, with more than 700 million doses supplied to 170 countries.
Shares in AstraZeneca were trading up 0.7% at 8,515.00 pence each in London on Friday morning.
By Will Paige; willpaige@alliancenews.com
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