AstraZeneca tests Covid booster shots against Beta-variant

BritishSwedish biopharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca has in partnership with the University of Oxford rolled out human trials for booster shots against Beta Covid variantThe booster shot named AZD2816 will be administered to individuals who have previously been fully vaccinated with two doses of AstraZeneca vaccineVaxzervia or an mRNA vaccine at least three months after their last injectionIn nonvaccinated individuals AZD2816 will be given as two doses four or twelve weeks apart or given as a second dose following a first dose of AstraZeneca vaccineVaxzervia four weeks apart the company said in a statement on SundayAZD2816 has been designed using the same adenoviral vector platform as AstraZeneca vaccine Vaxzervia with minor genetic alterations to the spike protein based on the Beta B1351 variant first identified in South AfricaAlso read AstraZeneca vaccine linked to rare neurological disorder in India EnglandThe study aims to enroll 2250 participants from the UK South Africa Brazil and Poland to build immunity against the Beta Covid variantTesting booster doses of existing vaccines and new variant vaccines is important to ensure we are best prepared to stay ahead of the pandemic coronavirus should their use be needed said Professor Sir Andrew J Pollard chief investigator and director of the Oxford Vaccine Group in the statementInitial data from the trial is expected later this year and once available will be submitted to regulators for assessment as a nextgeneration booster vaccine and through an expedited regulatory pathway the company saidThe Beta variant vaccine contains 10 changes across the spike protein many of which are also seen in other variants of concern and which lead to effects such as reduced ability of antibodies induced against the original virus to block cell entry K417N E484K N501Y increased infectivity compared to the original virus D614G reduced sensitivity of neutralising antibodies to the original virus L452R the company saidBesides these minor modifications the two AZD2816 and AstraZeneca vaccine Vaxzervia vaccines are the same it notedIn May the UK launched a clinical trial that aimed to assess the efficacy of a third booster dose of seven different Covid19 vaccines OxfordAstraZeneca PfizerBioNTech Moderna Novavax Valneva Janssen and Curevac on patients immune responsesIt costs 193 million pound and is being funded by the UK government and led by the University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation TrustMeanwhile the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has noted that there is currently no data to support that a Covid19 vaccine booster shot is needed for the general population But an extra dose may be needed for morevulnerable groups such as older adults or organ transplant patientsBoth Pfizer and Moderna are investigating a third dose of Covid vaccine while Johnson amp Johnson is studying the need for a second dose to raise protection against the virus the report saidThe US NIHs National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease or NIAID is also conducting a clinical trial to understand whether a third shot of a Moderna vaccine could be given after a person initially received two shots of Pfizer or one shot of Johnson amp Johnson the report addedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever