UK Data Shows Substantial Immune Response With Pfizer COVID-19 Shot In Elderly

  • According to real-world data in the U.K., around 98% of elderly aged between 80 to 96 years who received two doses of Pfizer Inc’s PFE coronavirus vaccine had a strong antibody immune response, reports Reuters.
  • A study of 100 older adults in Britain also found that vaccinated participants already had a peak antibody response after just one dose of the vaccine, and this response remained high after their second dose.
  • Paul Moss and Helen Parry, who co-led the study, said the high levels of antibodies detected were very reassuring.
  • “We were surprised and very pleased,” Moss told reporters at a briefing about the findings. “But, of course, this does go with the excellent clinical protection that we’re seeing with the vaccine - so it does correlate.”
  • Pfizer and its partner BioNTech SE BNTX said earlier today that updated clinical trial data showed their vaccine is around 91% effective at preventing COVID-19 cases.
  • The researchers found the SARS-CoV-2 virus was strongly neutralized in serum from blood samples taken from participants in laboratory tests.
  • When tested against a mutated version discovered in Brazil, the levels of neutralization reduced 14-fold, Parry said, but still showed the shot “retains broad efficacy” against this variant.
  • Price Action: PFE shares are up 0.01% at $36.24, and BNTX shares are up 3.3% at $112.89 during the market trading session on the last check Thursday.
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Posted In: BiotechNewsHealth CareFDAGeneralCOVID-19 VaccineReutersUnited Kingdom
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