The race for treatment against Covid-19 continues. Two vaccine projects, one British, the other Chinese, produced a "significant immune response", according to the results of two clinical trials, published in The Lancet. According to the British medical journal, they have "demonstrated their safety for patients".
The first, developed by the University of Oxford in partnership with the pharmaceutical group AstraZeneca, generated "a strong immune response" in a trial on more than 1,000 patients. The second project, which researchers from Wuhan and funded by CanSino Biologics are working on, caused a large antibody response for most of the approximately 500 trial participants.
"If our vaccine works, it is a promising option because it can be easily produced on a large scale," said Sarah Gilbert, researcher at Oxford University.
Don't claim victory too soon
However, these clinical trials are still in a preliminary phase (phase 1/2 and phase 2). Their efficacy will need to be confirmed in a phase 3 trial, on a larger number of participants, before considering any large-scale marketing.
So far, neither of the two trials has recorded any serious side effects. The most common side effects were fever, fatigue and pain at the injection site.
The recent questioning of the immunity developed after having contracted the coronavirus, makes it more necessary than ever to put in place an effective treatment.