AstraZeneca has hit back at reports in German media that claimed its Covid vaccine had low efficacy in over 65s. Photo / AP
AstraZeneca has hit back at reports in German media that claimed its Covid vaccine had low efficacy in over 65s. Photo / AP
AstraZeneca has hit back at reports in German media that claimed its Covid vaccine had low efficacy in over 65s, labelling the claims as "completely incorrect", while the German health ministry said the reports were false.
The drugmaker was forced to issue a blistering denial after a report in Handelsblatt, Germany's leading financial daily, claimed the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is only 8 per cent effective in people over the age of 65, citing unnamed German officials.
A separate report in tabloid Bild claimed German officials do not believe the AstraZeneca jab will receive approval from the European Medicines Agency for use on over-65s.
However, the German health ministry denied the reports yesterday, saying the data does not suggest efficacy of just 8 per cent. Rather, the 8 per cent figure referred to the number of people aged between 56 and 69 who took part in the study.
It expects the EMA decision on the Oxford vaccine to be announced on Friday.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced yesterday that the country's first Covid-19 vaccine could be granted approval in just over a week. Photo / Mark Mitchell
In December, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced NZ had pre-ordered vaccines from four providers: Pfizer (750,000 courses), Janssen (5 million), Oxford/AstraZeneca (3.8m) and Novavax (5.36m). One course refers to all the doses needed for one person.
Yesterday, Covid Response Minister Chris Hipkins said the Government had bought a "diverse portfolio" of vaccines so it had options as the rollout progressed - including purchasing more vaccines based on their effectiveness.
Ardern also announced yesterday that the country's first Covid-19 vaccine could be granted approval in just over a week. It was the first time the Government had put an explicit timeframe on the vaccine's approval.
In response to the claims in German media, a spokesman for AstraZeneca said: "Reports that the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine efficacy is as low as 8pc in adults over 65 years are completely incorrect.
"In the UK, the [Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation] supported use in this population and [Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency] included this group without dose adjustment in the authorisation for emergency supply.
"In November, we published data in The Lancet demonstrating that older adults showed strong immune responses to the vaccine, with 100pc of older adults generating spike-specific antibodies after the second dose."
The remarkable claim came after the European Union threatened to block exports of the Belgian-made Pfizer jabs to countries outside the bloc after AstraZeneca said it would have to cut deliveries to Europe by 60 per cent.
Stella Kyriakides, the EU's health commissioner, summoned bosses at AstraZeneca to a series of virtual meetings on Tuesday and made clear that their explanation for the reduction in doses was unacceptable.
Astra had blamed "reduced yields at a manufacturing site within our European supply chain" for the cut of some 50 million doses.
Meanwhile, at the World Economic Forum on Tuesday, Astra's chief executive Pascal Soriot slammed "me-first" governments for hoarding vaccines and leaving low-income countries behind.
AstraZeneca shares rose 1.2 per cent in early trading as investors brushed off the reports.
