LOS ANGELES - Two potential vaccines to protect against the novel coronavirus - one from Oxford University and AstraZeneca Plc and the other from China's CanSino Biologics - induced immune responses in healthy volunteers without causing dangerous side effects, according to studies published on Monday in The Lancet.
1. The Oxford/AstraZeneca and CanSino teams released results from early trials of Covid-19 vaccines that use harmless versions of another virus, or viral vector, to deliver genetic material from the novel coronavirus into cells to generate an immune response. Both trials were primarily designed to test the vaccines' safety and provide potential hints of efficacy.
The data were in line with those from another early-stage US. trial released earlier this month. That vaccine uses a different novel platform - ribonucleic acid - the chemical messenger containing instructions for cells to produce proteins. 3. The number of people in whom experimental Covid-19 vaccines have been tested so far is small, but researchers say measurements of immune system responses are encouraging.
4. More than 150 possible vaccines are in development for preventing Covid-19. J&J is also developing a viral vector vaccine for coronavirus and expects to begin human trials this month. 5. Monday's published studies bode well for those much larger, randomised controlled to assess their efficacy and safety. AstraZeneca has late-stage trials underway in Britain, Brazil and South Africa and aims to start studies in the United States, where the coronavirus prevalence is higher.