Mixing AstraZeneca, Pfizer Vaccines Delivers Stronger Immune Response
A dose of Pfizer covid vaccine four weeks after an AstraZeneca shot causes a stronger immune response than two doses of AstraZeneca according to a U.K. study. News outlets cover the whole issue of mixing covid vaccines, as well as technology behind currently approved shots.
Modern Healthcare:
U.K. Study Reports Mixing AstraZeneca, Pfizer Vaccines Produces Better Immunity
A vaccine study in the United Kingdom reports that getting a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine four weeks after a dose of Oxford-AstraZeneca produced a much stronger immune response than two doses of AstraZeneca. The results are similar to those reported earlier this year from small studies in Germany and Spain and will reinforce the decision to mix and match vaccines in much of Canada. The National Advisory Committee on Immunization in Canada said June 1 there was enough evidence about the safety of mixing two vaccines to tell that provinces could begin to offer Pfizer or the other mRNA vaccine from Moderna as a second dose to people who got AstraZeneca first. (6/28)
Reuters:
Mix-And-Match Approach Boosts Immune Response Of AstraZeneca Shot, Study Finds
A mixed schedule of vaccines where a shot of Pfizer's (PFE.N) COVID-19 vaccine is given four weeks after an AstraZeneca (AZN.L) shot will produce better immune responses than giving another dose of AstraZeneca, an Oxford study said on Monday. The study, called Com-COV, compared mixed two-dose schedules of Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines, and found that in any combination, they produced high concentrations of antibodies against the coronavirus spike protein. (Smout, 6/28)
The New York Times:
Why More People Are Getting Two Different Coronavirus Vaccines
Mixing vaccines — scientists call it “heterologous prime-boost” — is not a new idea, and researchers have experimented with it in fighting a handful of other diseases, like Ebola. Scientists have long theorized that giving people two slightly different vaccines might generate a stronger immune response, perhaps because the vaccines stimulate slightly different parts of the immune system or teach it to recognize different parts of an invading pathogen. (Anthes, 6/28)
In other news about covid vaccine development and manufacturing —
The Daily Beast:
AstraZeneca Vaccine Creator Gets An Emotional Standing Ovation At Wimbledon
Dame Sarah Gilbert, one of the scientists who developed the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, received a resounding standing ovation Monday on Wimbledon’s Centre Court for her groundbreaking work. Before the opening match between Novak Djokovic and Britain’s Jack Draper, an announcer told spectators that Monday’s guests included “leaders who have developed the anti-COVID vaccines.” A huge cheer rose up in the arena before he could say anything more. (Ubiera, 6/28)
The Boston Globe:
Sanofi Dives Into Messenger RNA Technology
After the spectacular success of two COVID-19 vaccines that rely on messenger RNA technology, the French drug giant Sanofi said Tuesday it will invest more than $475 million a year to develop vaccines that use the same approach against other infectious diseases, and much of the work will be done in Cambridge. Sanofi plans to create a vaccines mRNA Center of Excellence that will employ 400 people in Cambridge and Lyon, France. The French pharmaceutical firm, which has about 4,200 employees in Massachusetts, declined to say how many will work in Cambridge at the center. But Sanofi hopes to have at least six potential vaccines to test in clinical trials by 2025 against a range of diseases. The effort is getting underway this summer. (Saltzman, 6/29)
The Guardian:
The Oxford Vaccine: The Trials And Tribulations Of A World-Saving Jab
n January 2020, when most of the world slept soundly in ignorance of the pandemic coming its way, a group of scientists at Oxford University got to work on a vaccine to save the planet. They wanted it to be highly effective, cheap, and easy to use in even the poorest countries. Prof Sarah Gilbert, Prof Andrew Pollard and others pulled it off. With speed crucial, they designed it and launched into trials before bringing in a business partner. The giant Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca would manufacture it, license it around the world – and not make a profit until the pandemic was over. (Boseley, 6/26)
