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AstraZeneca may have included “outdated information” in touting the effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine in a US study, federal health officials have said, in an unusual public rift that could further erode confidence in the shot.
Key points:
- AstraZeneca released the result of a 32,000-person study in the US to measure the effectiveness of its vaccine
- But an independent panel overseeing the trial said the company may have used outdated data
- The AstraZeneca vaccine will be the cornerstone of Australia’s vaccination plan
In response, AstraZeneca said that it was working on more up-to-date information and that the more recent findings were consistent with its initial announcement that the vaccine offered strong protection.
It promised an update within 48 hours.
The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine will be the cornerstone of Australia’s vaccination plan.
In an extraordinary rebuke, just hours after AstraZeneca announced its vaccine worked well in the US study, an independent panel overseeing the study scolded the company for cherry-picking data, according to a senior US administration official.
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The vaccine is used widely in Britain, across the European continent and in other countries, but its rollout was troubled by inconsistent study reports about its effectiveness. Last week, a scare about blood clots had some countries temporarily pausing inoculations.
The US study findings announced by AstraZeneca were consistent with studies from elsewhere — and real-world use in Britain — that found the vaccine offered good protection against the worst COVID-19 had to offer. But company executives refused repeated requests from reporters to provide a breakdown of the 141 COVID-19 cases it was using to make the case for the shot’s effectiveness.
The company has said it aims to file an application with the FDA in the coming weeks.
Vaccine approved for safe use in Australia
ABC News: Isabella Higgins
)Frontline healthcare workers, border and hotel quarantine staff in Australia have already received the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, but the bulk of the population will get the AstraZeneca jab.
Australian regulator the Therapeutic Goods Administration on Tuesday approved the domestic production of the vaccine, with the first batches to be released in the coming days.
Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly has repeatedly stressed the AstraZeneca vaccine will meet all Australian safety standards before being used in Australia.
“But absolutely, there are no shortcuts. Every tick that needs to be ticked will be ticked before there is any rollout of this vaccine into the community,” he said in February.
ABC/AP
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