COVID-19 vaccine has good immune response with 2-dose regime: Oxford University

Washington, Dec 18: In a recent development, Oxford University on Thursday said that its COVID-19 vaccine candidate has a better immune response when a two full-dose regime is used rather than a full-dose followed by a half-dose booster.

The vaccine candidate, which has been licensed to AstraZeneca, has published interim late-stage trial results showing higher efficacy when a half dose is followed by a full dose, compared to a two full-dose regime, though more work needs to be done to affirm the result.

According to reports, the details from the Phase I/II clinical trials that was released on Thursday made no reference to the half-dose/full-dose regime, which Oxford has said had been "unplanned" but approved by regulators.

The university also said that it explored two dosing regimes in early stage trials, a full-dose/full-dose regime and a full-dose/half-dose regime, investigated as a possible "dose sparing" strategy.

In a statement, the university said, "The booster doses of the vaccine are both shown to induce stronger antibody responses than a single dose, the standard dose/standard dose inducing the best response."

However, the university said that the vaccine "stimulates broad antibody and T cell functions," after publishing further data from the Phase I/II clinical trials.