Utilico Insights - Jacqueline Broers assesses why Vietnam could be the darling of Asia for investors. Watch the full video here.

Less Ads, More Data, More Tools Register for FREE

Pin to quick picksAstrazeneca Share News (AZN)

Share Price Information for Astrazeneca (AZN)

London Stock Exchange
Share Price is delayed by 15 minutes
Get Live Data
Share Price: 10,678.00
Bid: 10,688.00
Ask: 10,690.00
Change: 0.00 (0.00%)
Spread: 2.00 (0.019%)
Open: 0.00
High: 0.00
Low: 0.00
Prev. Close: 10,678.00
AZN Live PriceLast checked at -

Watchlists are a member only feature

Login to your account

Alerts are a premium feature

Login to your account

UPDATE 3-Russia says its Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine is 92% effective

Wed, 11th Nov 2020 09:24

* Russia releases interim data soon after Pfizer and
BioNTech

* Data based on smaller number of infections vs Pfizer

* Stocks extend gains on results
(Adds more expert comment)

By Polina Ivanova

MOSCOW, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Russia's Sputnik V vaccine is 92%
effective at protecting people from COVID-19 according to
interim trial results, the country's sovereign wealth fund said
on Wednesday, as Moscow rushes to keep pace with Western
drugmakers in the race for a shot.

Russia's results are only the second from a late-stage human
trial, following on swiftly from data released on Monday by
Pfizer Inc and BioNTech, which said their shot
was also more than 90% effective.

While experts said the Russian data was encouraging and
reinforced the idea the pandemic could be halted by vaccines,
they warned that the results were only based on a small number
of trial volunteers who had contracted COVID-19.

The analysis was conducted after 20 participants developed
the virus and examined how many had received the vaccine versus
a placebo. That is significantly lower than the 94 infections in
the trial of the vaccine being developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.

"I assume there was political pressure after the press
release from Pfizer and BioNTech earlier in the week to now draw
level with their own data," said Bodo Plachter, deputy director
of the Institute of Virology at the Mainz University. "What is
missing for now is an analysis of statistical significance."

To confirm the efficacy rate of its vaccine, Pfizer said it
would continue its trial until there were 164 COVID-19 cases.

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which has been
backing Sputnik V's development, said the Russian trial would
continue for six months.

Alexander Gintsburg, director of the Gamaleya Institute
which developed the vaccine, said the interim results
demonstrated that Sputnik V was effective and mass vaccinations
would be rolled out in Russia in the coming weeks.

European stocks and U.S. stock futures extended their gains
slightly after Russia's announcement though the reaction was far
more muted than after Pfizer's results.

'NOT A COMPETITION'

Successful vaccines are seen as a crucial to restoring daily
life around the world by helping end the pandemic that has
killed more than 1.26 million people, shuttered businesses and
put millions out of work.

However, experts said knowledge about the Russian trial's
design was sparse, making it hard to interpret the data.

Scientists have raised concerns about the speed at which
Moscow has worked, giving the regulatory go-ahead for the shot
and launching mass vaccinations before full trials to test its
safety and efficacy had been completed.

"This is not a competition. We need all trials to be carried
out to the highest possible standards and it is particularly
important that the pre-set criteria for unblinding the trial
data are adhered to avoid cherry picking the data," said Eleanor
Riley, a professor of immunology and infectious disease at the
University of Edinburgh.

"Anything less than this risks a public loss of trust in all
vaccines, which would be a disaster."

The results are based on data from the first 16,000 trial
participants to receive both shots of the two-dose vaccine.

"We are showing, based on the data, that we have a very
effective vaccine," said RDIF head Kirill Dmitriev, adding that
it was the sort of news that the vaccine's developers would talk
about one day with their grandchildren.

The so-called Phase III trial of the shot is taking place in
29 clinics across Moscow and will involve 40,000 volunteers in
total, with a quarter receiving a placebo shot.

The chances of contracting COVID-19 were 92% lower among
people vaccinated with Sputnik V than those who received the
placebo, the RDIF said.

That's well above the 50% effectiveness threshold for
COVID-19 vaccines set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The RDIF said data from the study would be published in a
leading medical journal following a peer review. The results of
the early-stage Russian trials were peer reviewed and published
in September in The Lancet medical journal.

Experts said that as with the Pfizer results, it was not yet
clear how long immunity would last after taking the Russian
vaccine, nor how efficient it would be for different age groups.

"We certainly need longer-term observations to draw valid
conclusions about efficacy and side effects. The same goes for
Pfizer's and BioNTech's numbers," said Plachter in Mainz.

SPUTNIK V

The Russian drug is named Sputnik V after the Soviet-era
satellite that triggered the space race, a nod to the project's
geopolitical importance for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russia registered the vaccine for public use in August, the
first country to do so, ahead of the start of the large-scale
trial in September.

So far, it has inoculated 10,000 members of the public
considered at high risk of contracting COVID-19 such as doctors
and teachers, outside of the trial.

The vaccine is designed to trigger a response from two shots
administered 21 days apart, each based on different viral
vectors that normally cause the common cold: human adenoviruses
Ad5 and Ad26.

The Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine uses messenger RNA (mRNA)
technology and is designed to trigger an immune response without
using pathogens, such as actual virus particles.

Russia is also testing a different vaccine, produced by the
Vector Institute in Siberia, and is on the cusp of registering a
third, Putin said on Tuesday, adding that all of the country's
vaccines were effective.

RDIF said as of Nov. 11 no serious side effects had been
reported during the Sputnik V Phase III trial.

Some volunteers had short-term minor adverse events such as
pain at the injection site, flu-like syndrome including fever,
weakness, fatigue, and headache, it said.

In late October, the vaccination of new volunteers was
temporarily paused due to high demand and a shortage of doses.

Russia's deputy prime minister said on Wednesday that the
Vector Institute vaccine was expected to post-registration
trials on Nov. 15.

Russia reported 19,851 new coronavirus infections in the
past 24 hours and a record high of 432 deaths. At 1,836,960, its
overall case tally is the fifth largest in the world, behind the
United States, India, Brazil and France.

(Reporting by Polina Ivanova; Additional reporting by Kate
Kelland, Ludwig Burger, Josephine Mason and Thyagaraju
Adinarayan; Editing by David Clarke)

More News
27 Mar 2024 12:02

LONDON MARKET MIDDAY: FTSE 100 underperforms ahead of US PCE data

(Alliance News) - Stock prices in London were lower at midday on Wednesday, but trade was more confident in mainland Europe, with focus turning to the release of the US Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge on Friday.

Read more
27 Mar 2024 11:56

C4X Discovery seeks AIM delisting but half-year revenue skyrockets

(Alliance News) - C4X Discovery Holdings PLC shares plunged on Wednesday after it said it plans to delist from AIM in London, due to "the recent downturn in the financial markets" hampering its valuation.

Read more
27 Mar 2024 09:19

AstraZeneca treatments become "first and only" to be approved in Japan

(Alliance News) - AstraZeneca PLC announced on Wednesday the approval of two of its treatments for use in Japan.

Read more
27 Mar 2024 09:03

LONDON MARKET OPEN: FTSE 100 slips as unease lingers before US data

(Alliance News) - Stock prices in London edged lower after the open on Wednesday, with some nervy trade ahead of a US inflation reading later in the week.

Read more
27 Mar 2024 08:02

LONDON BRIEFING: Diploma makes buy; Astra wins Japan drug approvals

(Alliance News) - Stocks in London opened in a muted fashion on Wednesday, with some unease lingering in equity markets ahead of a US inflation reading later in the week.

Read more
26 Mar 2024 10:18

China to speed up 'new productive forces', vice president says

BEIJING, March 26 (Reuters) - China will accelerate the development of "new productive forces" and bolster stability and security for the global economy, Vice President Han Zheng told an investment forum in Beijing, as the world's no.2 economy seeks to reassure anxious foreign firms.

Read more
25 Mar 2024 12:09

LONDON MARKET MIDDAY: Stocks make tepid start to new week

(Alliance News) - Stock prices in London were down at midday on Monday, giving back some gains from last week, when equities were boosted by central bank decisions and accompanying statements which investors saw as dovish.

Read more
25 Mar 2024 09:04

LONDON MARKET OPEN: FTSE 100 treads water, FTSE 250 declines

(Alliance News) - The FTSE 100 in London traded flat early Monday, while the pound remained below the USD1.26 mark, as Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey suggested rate cuts may happen soon.

Read more
25 Mar 2024 08:40

TOP NEWS: AstraZeneca wins US approval for rare nervous system disease

(Alliance News) - AstraZeneca PLC on Monday said its Ultomiris treatment has been approved by the US Food & Drug Administration as the first and only long-acting C5 complement inhibitor to treat neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder in adults.

Read more
25 Mar 2024 07:59

LONDON BRIEFING: AstraZeneca wins US approval, Kingfisher profit down

(Alliance News) - London's FTSE 100 is set to open lower on Monday, giving back some of last week's progress, when equities were boosted by hope of interest rate cuts.

Read more
25 Mar 2024 07:23

AstraZeneca gets FDA approval for Ultomiris treatment

(Sharecast News) - AstraZeneca has announced that its autoimmune disease treatment Ultomiris has been given the green light by US regulators.

Read more
21 Mar 2024 16:43

AstraZeneca's Tagrisso successful in treating lung cancer

(Alliance News) - AstraZeneca PLC on Thursday reported positive findings following a phase III trial of its lung cancer Tagrisso treatment.

Read more
19 Mar 2024 08:56

TOP NEWS: AstraZeneca to buy Fusion in deal worth over USD2 billion

(Alliance News) - AstraZeneca PLC on Tuesday said it will buy Fusion Pharmaceuticals Inc, a Canada-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing "next-generation" radioconjugates.

Read more
19 Mar 2024 07:05

AstraZeneca to buy US-listed Fusion Phrama for $2bn

(Sharecast News) - AstraZeneca said it had agreed to buy biopharmaceutical company Fusion Pharmaceuticals for up to $2bn.

Read more
18 Mar 2024 16:09

UK dividends calendar - next 7 days

Tuesday 19 March 
Jarvis Securities PLCdividend payment date
Wednesday 20 March 
Virgin Money UK PLCdividend payment date
Thursday 21 March 
abrdn Asia Focus PLCdividend payment date
abrdn Private Equity Opportunities Trust PLCex-dividend payment date
AIB Group PLCex-dividend payment date
Beazley PLCex-dividend payment date
BlackRock World Mining Trust PLCex-dividend payment date
British American Tobacco PLCex-dividend payment date
Chemring Group PLCex-dividend payment date
CLS Holdings PLCex-dividend payment date
Conduit Holdings Ltdex-dividend payment date
Craneware PLCex-dividend payment date
Crest Nicholson Holdings PLCex-dividend payment date
Diverse Income Trust PLCex-dividend payment date
Fonix Mobile PLCex-dividend payment date
FW Thorpe PLCex-dividend payment date
Glanbia PLCex-dividend payment date
GlobalData PLCex-dividend payment date
Globalworth Real Estate Investments Ltdex-dividend payment date
Goodwin PLCex-dividend payment date
Gore Street Energy Storage Fund PLCex-dividend payment date
Hargreaves Services PLCex-dividend payment date
HgCapital Trust PLCex-dividend payment date
Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLCex-dividend payment date
Jardine Matheson Holdings LDex-dividend payment date
London Finance & Investment Group PLCex-dividend payment date
Maven Income & Growth VCT 3 PLCex-dividend payment date
Maven Income & Growth VCT 5 PLCex-dividend payment date
MTI Wireless Edge Ltdex-dividend payment date
Nichols PLCex-dividend payment date
NWF Group PLCex-dividend payment date
Palace Capital PLCex-dividend payment date
Pearson PLCex-dividend payment date
Pembroke VCT B PLCex-dividend payment date
Primorus Investments PLCex-dividend payment date
Schroders PLCex-dividend payment date
Triple Point Energy Transition PLCex-dividend payment date
Tristel PLCex-dividend payment date
VPC Specialty Lending Investments PLCdividend payment date
Friday 22 March 
easyJet PLCdividend payment date
FRP Advisory Group PLCdividend payment date
Gulf Investment Fund PLCdividend payment date
Henderson Opportunities Trust PLCdividend payment date
Hercules Site Services PLCdividend payment date
Impax Asset Management Group PLCdividend payment date
JLEN Environmental Assets Group Ltddividend payment date
JPMorgan Multi-Asset Growth & Income PLCdividend payment date
Mattioli Woods PLCdividend payment date
Mobeus Income & Growth 2 VCT PLCdividend payment date
Mobeus Income & Growth 4 VCT PLCdividend payment date
Ramsdens Holdings PLCdividend payment date
Riverstone Credit Opportunities Income PLCdividend payment date
Ruffer Investment Co Ltddividend payment date
Samuel Heath & Sons PLCdividend payment date
Troy Income & Growth Trust PLCdividend payment date
Unilever PLCdividend payment date
Monday 25 March 
AstraZeneca PLCdividend payment date
Endeavour Mining PLCdividend payment date
Mountview Estates PLCdividend payment date
Shell PLCdividend payment date
  
Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com
  
A full 14-day events calendar is provided each day with a subscription to Alliance News UK Professional.
  
Copyright 2024 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Read more

Login to your account

Don't have an account? Click here to register.

Quickpicks are a member only feature

Login to your account

Don't have an account? Click here to register.