AstraZeneca's COVID-19 Vaccine Potentially Triggers Response Against Brazil Variant: Reuters

Preliminary data from a study conducted at the University of Oxford suggests that AstraZeneca Plc’s (NASDAQ: AZN) COVID-19 vaccine is effective against the P1 or Brazilian variant, reports Reuters.

• The data indicate that the vaccine will not need modification to protect against the variant.
• The study did not disclose the vaccine’s exact efficacy against the variant, but full results should be possibly released by March.
• Early results from a small study showed that the AstraZeneca vaccine was less effective against the South African variant, similar to P1.
• Subsequently, South Africa paused the use of the vaccine in the country.
• Reuters also reported that a small-sample lab study showed that Sinovac Biotech’s COVID-19 vaccine failed to generate a sufficient immune response.
• According to a recent study, one dose of either Pfizer Inc (NYSE: PFE)/BioNtech SE (NASDAQ: BNTX) or Oxford-AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine is more than 80% effective in reducing infections and severe illness among those aged over 80.
• Price Action: AZN shares are trading 0.73% higher at $47.59 in market trading hours on the last check Friday.