An update from the Dorset and Hampshire Research Hubs

Oxford vaccine offers high level of protection, interim analysis shows

This week, the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca plc announced that interim data from Phase III trials show that their candidate vaccine, ChAdOx1 nCoV-2019, is effective at preventing COVID-19 and offers a high level of protection.

Preliminary data indicates that the vaccine is 70.4% effective, with tests on two different dose regimes showing that the vaccine was 90% effective if administered at a half dose and then at a full dose, or 62% effective if administered in two full doses.

More than 24,000 people volunteered for the trial in the UK, Brazil and South Africa, including over 700 from the Southampton area. Professor Saul Faust, Clinical Director of the NIHR Clinical Research Network Wessex, led the clinical trial in Southampton. 

Oxford will now support AstraZeneca in submitting both the interim Phase III efficacy data and the extensive safety data to all regulators across the world for independent scrutiny and product approval, including for emergency use.

Dorset Research Hub reaches recruitment milestone

We are pleased to share that the Dorset Research Hub has reached a key milestone in the Novavax trial, with almost 600 participants recruited. This is a fantastic achievement and we send our thanks to everyone involved.

We hope to open a second vaccine trial at the Dorset Research Hub before the end of the year, and we will share further details on this exciting development soon.

Meanwhile at the Hampshire Research Hub, recruitment to the Phase III Janssen trial continues. Participant follow up visits are also planned for the University of Oxford/AstraZeneca Phase I and Phase II trials, as well as the Phase I Imperial College London study.

The importance of continued research

The encouraging interim results from Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna and Oxford/AstraZeneca are a tribute to the global efforts of the life sciences industry, researchers and volunteers. It is thanks to all those involved, that we have this encouraging news about potential vaccines.

Although these are significant steps forward, the vaccines have not yet been approved for use in the UK and clinical trials into a number of other Covid-19 vaccines will continue. Different vaccines work in different ways and we still need to collect important information about:

• Which vaccines work best for different groups of people
• How effective the vaccines are at preventing severe infection, infection as a whole and transmission
• The best way to use vaccines
• The number of doses required
• Long term safety and effectiveness

In Wessex, Covid-19 vaccine trials will continue throughout the winter and into 2021, with several new trials coming on board soon.

We really value your support with the delivery of these trials. Our team is currently working through the expressions of interest (EOI), matching staff to suitable roles within the Hub. Please rest assured that your EOI has been received and the team will be in touch as soon as possible if they haven’t already.

In the meantime, if you would like an update on your EOI or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the team on comms.crnwessex@nihr.ac.uk. You can also find out more about COVID-19 vaccine research in Wessex by visiting our dedicated webpage.