AstraZeneca COVID-19 Jab Shows 74% Efficacy In US Trial

Reuters reported that large U.S. trial results of AstraZeneca Plc's AZN COVID-19 vaccine demonstrated 74% efficacy at preventing symptomatic disease.
In people aged 65 and older, the efficacy increased to 83.5%
Overall efficacy of 74% was lower than the interim 79% reported in March, a result AstraZeneca revised days later to 76% after a rare public rebuke from health officials that the figure was based on "outdated information."
The study included data from more than 26,000 volunteers in the United States, Chile, and Peru.
There were no cases of severe or critical symptomatic COVID-19 among the more than 17,600 participants who got the vaccine, compared with 8 cases among the 8,500 volunteers on placebo.
There were also two deaths in the placebo group but none among those who received the vaccine.
"I was pleasantly surprised," Dr. Anna Durbin, a vaccine researcher at Johns Hopkins University and one of the study's investigators, said of the overall result. "It was also highly protective against severe disease and hospitalization," she said.
No blood clotting side effects linked to the vaccine were observed during the study.
AstraZeneca said it plans to file for full approval with the FDA rather than seek emergency use authorization.
Price Action: AZN stock is up 1.41% at $60.51 during the market session on the last check Thursday.
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