There is an ongoing dispute right now between the European Union and the Asta Zeneca manufacturer resulting in a delay in supply, there is also an issue of the AstraZeneca vaccine not being passed to be given to people above the age of 65 due to the lack of data.
It was the Standing Committee on Vaccinations (STIKO) at the Robert Koch Institute of Germany (RKI) that made the discovery of the lack of data on the effectiveness of this particular vaccine when administered to people above the age of 65 and quoted that “Due to the small number of study participants in the age group ≥65 years, no conclusion can be made regarding efficacy and safety in the elderly. This vaccine is therefore currently recommended by STIKO only for persons aged 18-64 years.”
AstraZeneca reps did not let this statement go by unanswered they made an announcement where their spokesperson said that said “latest analyses of clinical trial data for the AstraZeneca/Oxford Covid-19 vaccine support efficacy in the over 65 years age group.” This also meant that the manufacturer of the drug was waiting the decision by the EU medicines regulator.
AstraZeneca also claimed that they will not be able to deliver the promised amount of vaccine odes to the Eu as there are problems with production the European Commission is not happy with this and is claiming that since they were the ones who ordered it from the drug maker for the EU member states that the drug maker best find a way to increase the supply.
There are countries in the EU that have stopped giving the first done of the vaccine as they are not sure if the second does will be available in time for those who have received the first dose, while other countries have either pushed the dates back or canceled the appointment dates till they have both does of the vaccine readily available.
The UK who got the approval for the vaccine has already inoculated people over the age of 65 and stated that was “limited information available on efficacy in participants aged 65 or over, although there is nothing to suggest lack of protection.” Germany responded to this statement by saying said “current evidence does not suggest any lack of protection against Covid-19 in people aged 65 or over, the data we have shown that the vaccine produces a strong immune response in the over-65s. More data is continually becoming available for this age group and our Public Assessment Report, available on our website, will be updated to reflect this.”
The EU has made an order of 300 million doses of the AstraZeneca which could have been approved for you by Friday with the option to purchase 100million more doses if needed. Pascal Soriot Chief Executive officer of AstraZeneca said in an interview that that “the issue with the elderly data is not so much whether it works or not. It’s that we have today a limited amount of data in the older population.” This was also because the scientist running the trials did not want to test the vaccines and trials on people above the age of 65 until they had all the safety data in order to do so.
Soriot when on to say that “Essentially, because Oxford started vaccinating older people later, we don’t have a huge number of older people who have been vaccinated. So that’s what the debate is. But we have strong data showing very strong antibody production against the virus in the elderly, similar to what we see in younger people. It’s possible that some countries, out of caution, will use our vaccine for the younger group.”
There is also Stephen Evens who is a professor of pharmacoepidemiology at the London school of hygiene and tropical medicine who pointed out that the decision taken by Germany is” not a regulatory decision, but draft advice on usage” he further went on to say that “well known that the clinical data for this vaccine were limited for those aged 70 and over. There is no reason at all for anyone in the UK or elsewhere to think that this Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is ineffective at any age, Its ability to be delivered to people in GP surgeries and care homes makes it a vital component in the attempts to reduce hospitalization and deaths, especially in the elderly.”
These were not the only statements that have come by the media there were several other countries that displayed concern over the lack of data as well as the delay in getting the medication to their citizens as promised by the EU. As the dispute goes on Belgian has expressed concern along with Italy, Netherlands and Sweden.
