LONDON (Reuters) – Britain on Thursday launched a test to assess the immune responses created if doses of the COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer Inc and AstraZeneca Plc are combined in a two-dimensional chart.
The British researchers behind the trial said that vaccination data for people with both types of coronavirus vaccine could help understand whether shots can be distributed with greater flexibility around the world. Initial data on immune responses are expected to be generated around June.
The lawsuit examines the immune responses of an initial dose of Pfizer vaccine followed by an increase of AstraZeneca, as well as vice versa, with 4 and 12 week intervals.
Both the mRNA bullet developed by Pfizer and Biontech and the adenovirus vector vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca are currently being distributed in the UK, with a 12-week gap between two doses of the same vaccine .
It is expected that more vaccines will be added to the trial once they have been approved and released.
Recruitment for the study begins Thursday, with more than 800 participants expected to participate, the researchers said. That makes it much less than the clinical trials used to test the effectiveness of the vaccines alone.
The test will not assess the overall effectiveness of bullet combinations, but researchers will measure antibody and T-cell responses, as well as look for unexpected side effects.
Matthew Snape, a vaccine from Oxford that is leading the case, said initial results could provide information on vaccine use in the second half of the year.
“We will get some results through, we expect, by June or later that will inform the use of increasing doses in the general population,” he told reporters.
The lawsuit is looking to recruit people over the age of 50 who may be at higher risk than younger people who have not already been vaccinated.
The AstraZeneca pill is also being tested in conjunction with the Sputnik V vaccine in Russia, and the head of the British drug dealers ’investigation has said more studies should be done on combining vaccines.
Reciting with Alistair Smout; Edited by Bill Berkrot