NIAID Questions AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine Results

By Amy Orciari Herman

Edited by David G. Fairchild, MD, MPH, and Lorenzo Di Francesco, MD, FACP, FHM

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases issued a statement early Tuesday calling into question the latest results for AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine. On Monday, the company reported that the vaccine showed 79% efficacy against symptomatic COVID-19 in its U.S. phase 3 trial.

The NIAID said it had been alerted by the trial's data and safety monitoring board that "AstraZeneca may have included outdated information from that trial, which may have provided an incomplete view of the efficacy data."

In response, AstraZeneca said their results were based on an interim analysis of data through February 17. They added, "We have reviewed the preliminary assessment of the primary analysis and the results were consistent with the interim analysis." The company expects to report results from the primary analysis within 2 days.