AstraZeneca Says Preliminary Data Shows The Third Dose Of COVID-19 Vaccine Helps Against The Omicron Variant

Illustration of AstraZeneca alert COVID-19 vaccine. (Wikimedia Commons/Whispyhistory)

JAKARTA - AstraZeneca said on Thursday preliminary data from a trial showed their COVID-19 vaccine produced increased antibodies to the Omicron variant and other variants, when given as a third booster dose.

The increased response, also to the Delta variant, was seen in blood analyzes of people previously vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine or mRNA, the drugmaker said, adding it would submit this data to regulators around the world, given the urgent need for boosters, cited from Reuters January 13

AstraZeneca has been developing the vaccine with researchers from the University of Oxford, and laboratory research conducted by the university last month found that three doses of AstraZeneca vaccine increased blood levels of antibodies against the rapidly spreading variant of Omicron.

Thursday's brief statement, which did not include specific data, was the first by AstraZeneca of the protective potential of its vaccine as a booster shot, following two injections of an mRNA-based vaccine or their vaccine. It is known, vaccines based on mRNA technology were made by BioNTech-Pfizer and Moderna.

The company said these findings add to the growing body of evidence supporting the AstraZeneca vaccine as a third-dose booster regardless of the main vaccination schedule being tested."

Data on the potential of the AstraZeneca vaccine as a booster come from a comparative analysis in trials of a redesigned vaccine, using the vector technology behind the AstraZeneca vaccine but targeting the now superseded Beta variant.

AstraZeneca is trying to show that Beta-specific vaccines have potential also against other variants and more trial data is expected during the first half of this year.

Separately, the Universities of Oxford and AstraZeneca last month began work on a vaccine specifically targeting the Omicron variant although AstraZeneca, as well as other vaccine makers in similar development projects, said it was not yet clear whether such an upgrade was necessary.

To note, a large UK trial in December found that the AstraZeneca vaccine increased antibodies when given as a booster after initial vaccination with its own injection or Pfizer, but that was before the explosive spread of the Omicron variant.

However, research at the time concluded the mRNA vaccine, made by Pfizer and Moderna, provided the greatest boost to antibodies when given as a third dose.

AstraZeneca alone has so far supplied more than 2.5 billion doses of its vaccine globally, although it is not approved in the United States, while BioNTech-Pfizer has shipped about 2.6 billion doses.