Covid-19: Oxford Vaccine Could Be Ready in September

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Developed by Oxford University in partnership with pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, the vaccine against Covid-19 could finalize its human trials in September, according to Sarah Gilbert, the scientist behind the studies at the British university.

The immunizer – considered the most advanced in the world – subsequently depends on the manufacturing and distribution process. According to Fraser Hall, AstraZeneca Brazil‘s president, in an interview with VEJA in June, the product may reach the country later this year, without a definite deadline. However, other estimates point to the first quarter of 2021.

The first stage results are expected to be officially released on Monday, July 20th. “We hope that the article, which is in its final stage of editing, will be published on July 20th, for immediate release,” The Lancet magazine announced in a note.

[Breaking news: On Monday morning, June 20th, the Oxford team announced its vaccine was safe and induces immune reaction. Prof Sarah Gilbert, form the University of Oxford, UK, says: “There is still much work to be done before we can confirm if our vaccine will help manage the Covid-19 pandemic, but these early results hold promise.”]

Researchers believe the vaccine, which is in its third and final testing stage, is approximately 80 percent effective in preventing the severe form of the disease.

Given the pandemic, the Oxford team has developed technology that can expedite the process. Astrazeneca plans to produce over two billion doses.

The immunizing agent would have shown a double positive result: as well as creating antibodies against the coronavirus, it has also induced the production of T cells from the immune system, which act in the body’s defense system.

In all, 50,000 subjects are taking part in the Oxford vaccine trials worldwide, ten percent of them in Brazil. In the country, the trials are conducted in partnership with the Federal University of São Paulo, Instituto D’Or and the Lemann Foundation.

There are currently around 160 immunization projects around the world. Of these, two dozen are already in the clinical trials stage in humans. The World Health Organization has already stated that the Oxford vaccine is the most advanced. Pfizer’s immunizer is also at an advanced stage of manufacture.

Global investment in the development of a vaccine against the novel coronavirus has reached US$20 billion.

Source: Veja