AstraZeneca to hasten trial update after US calls results outdated

AstraZeneca plans to release up-to-date results from the US study of its Covid-19 vaccine within 48 hours following criticism from a science agency that an analysis published on Monday included old information.

The UK drugmaker will “immediately engage” with the independent panel monitoring the trial to share the latest efficacy information, AstraZeneca said on Tuesday. The earlier results were based on data gathered through February 17.

The stumble is the latest misstep for AstraZeneca, which had announced that the vaccine was found to be 79% effective in preventing Covid-19 in the US clinical trial of more than 30,000 volunteers.


The shot, developed with the University of Oxford and viewed as a frontrunner to help curb the pandemic, has been beset by complications.

In a brief statement last night, the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases said the monitoring board charged with ensuring the safety and accuracy of the vaccine trial had expressed concern that results may give an “incomplete” view of the shot's efficacy.

The institute, headed by Anthony Fauci, urged AstraZeneca to work with the data and safety monitoring board to “ensure the most accurate, up-to-date efficacy data be made public as quickly as possible.”