The World Health Organization needs more data to evaluate the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine and the fact that it shows greater efficacy with lower doses.
The WHO has so far only been able to review a press release with limited data. They claim that "something interesting" has been observed, but this efficacy could be due to many reasons, which is why they need more information and a complete evaluation of the immune response.
"It's too early for us to say what we think of the data and what is needed next. What we really need is to see more than a press release, to really see the data and be able to ask the necessary questions," said Katherine O'Brien, the organization's director of immunization.
Chief scientist, Soumya Swaminathan, added that the number of people who received the different doses was not the same and their ages also varied, making it "very difficult to compare." She believes that it would be "speculative" at this point and agrees with AstraZeneca that a full trial on the lower dose will be needed to draw conclusions.
The Organization encourages all manufacturers to publish the full trial data and their protocols to make it easier for them, regulators, and citizens to make decisions.
Source: news.un.org
