We continue our Hope Behind the Headlines series by examining the promising clinical trial results of two new vaccines. Also, an experimental study adds to the mounting evidence suggesting that remdesivir may combat COVID-19.
Several developments have taken place in COVID-19 research since we published our last feature in this series.
Among them is the finding that a rheumatoid arthritis drug called tocilizumab almost halved COVID-19 mortality. This drug calms the so-called cytokine storm, which refers to a potentially fatal overreaction of the immune system. However, this drug may also increase the risk of secondary infections.
Stay informed with live updates on the current COVID-19 outbreak and visit our coronavirus hub for more advice on prevention and treatment.
In another interesting development, scientists used cutting-edge technology to create air filters that can kill SARS-CoV-2. The innovation could help stop the new virus from spreading indoors.
However, the most promising outcomes are from the field of vaccine testing: Two new vaccines have gone through clinical trials and produced hopeful results that we detail below.
Article highlights:
We have been following Prof. Sarah Gilbert and her team’s progress since April 2020, when she told The Times that she is hoping to have a vaccine ready by September. Her team’s vaccine uses a chimp adenovirus that is harmless to humans as a vector.
Since April, the vaccine has shown promise in monkeys and pigs. A couple of weeks ago, we reported that the scientists, from the University of Oxford’s Jenner Institute in the United Kingdom, were recruiting participants for human trials.
Now, the results of the first phase of these clinical trials appear in the journal The Lancet. In the paper, the authors explain that this was a single-blind, randomized controlled trial that took place across five trial centers in the U.K.
The trial included a total of 1,077 healthy participants, all aged 18–55. Of the volunteers, 543 received the vaccine — known technically as ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 but more commonly referred to as the Oxford vaccine, or the AstraZeneca vaccine — and 534 received a control vaccine.
All of the participants who received the Oxford vaccine developed SARS-CoV-2-neutralizing antibodies within 2 weeks. Most of them (32 out of 35) developed them after receiving a single dose.
A group of 10 participants received two doses, and in this group, all developed immune responses. In other words, this phase of the human trial confirmed what the previous trial in pigs had shown: that two doses are better than one.
Furthermore, the vaccine triggered immune responses in T cells, which are key “fighters” in our immune system. These responses peaked 2 weeks after the injection and remained for 2 months. The quantity of antibodies peaked at day 28 and remained for 56 days.
Regarding adverse reactions, the vaccine caused some mild side effects, including “pain, feeling feverish, chills, muscle ache, headache, and malaise.” However, taking acetaminophen preventively eased these side effects.
Study co-author Prof. Andrew Pollard, chief investigator of the Oxford vaccine trial, comments on the findings, saying, “The interim phase I/II data for our coronavirus vaccine show that the vaccine did not lead to any unexpected reactions and had a similar safety profile to previous vaccines of this type.”
“The immune responses observed following vaccination are in line with what we expect will be associated with protection against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, although we must continue with our rigorous clinical trial program to confirm this,” he adds.
“We saw the strongest immune response in participants who received two doses of the vaccine, indicating that this might be a good strategy for vaccination.”
– Prof. Andrew Pollard
Other experts, who were not involved in the research, are also commenting on the results.
For example, Prof. Ian Jones — at the University of Reading in the U.K. — says, “The data from the phase I/II trial of the Oxford vaccine are as good as one could reasonably expect and confirm earlier use of the vector as a general vaccine platform.”
“Trial participants developed the all-important neutralizing antibodies, in most cases after one shot and in all cases after two shots.”
Meanwhile, Prof. Jonathan Ball — at the University of Nottingham in the U.K. — says, “The results of the Oxford chimp adenovirus vaccine candidate show that the vaccine is able to generate antibodi