79% effective: AstraZeneca Covid vaccine gets a
 shot in the arm

Washington - Drugmaker intends to request US emergency authorisation in the coming weeks.

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By Reuters

Published: Tue 23 Mar 2021, 12:09 AM

Last updated: Tue 23 Mar 2021, 1:31 AM

AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine performed better than expected in a major late-stage trial, potentially paving the way for its emergency authorisation in the United States and bolstering confidence in the shot after numerous setbacks in Europe.

The drugmaker said on Monday that interim data from trials in Chile, Peru and the United States found the vaccine, developed in conjunction with Oxford University, was 79 per cent effective in preventing symptomatic Covid-19 and, crucially, posed no increased risk of blood clots. It intends to request US emergency authorisation in the coming weeks.

More than a dozen European countries, including Germany and France, had halted use of the AstraZeneca vaccine earlier this month after reports linked it to blood clots in a very small number of people.

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Reuters

Published: Tue 23 Mar 2021, 12:09 AM

Last updated: Tue 23 Mar 2021, 1:31 AM

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