NIAID: AstraZeneca "may have included outdated information" on COVID vaccine
A healthcare worker holds a vial of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine at the Pentland Medical Practice in Currie, Scotland, in January. Photo: Russell Cheyne - WPA Pool/Getty Images
NIAID said early Tuesday it's "concerned" that AstraZeneca "may have included outdated information" from a trial of its COVID-19 vaccine that "may have provided an incomplete view of the efficacy data."
Why it matters: The statement comes after the company announced the vaccine it developed with the University of Oxford was found to be 79% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 and 100% effective against severe disease and hospitalization in a Phase III trial.
- The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease added it's urging AstraZeneca to work with its monitoring board "to review the efficacy data and ensure the most accurate, up-to-date efficacy data be made public as quickly as possible."
- The vaccine has struggled to earn widespread public trust following a pause in clinical trials last September. Some European nations halted the shot over concerns that patients receiving it experienced blood clots.
The big picture: The World Health Organization and over 50 governments have already approved the vaccine, but it has yet to receive authorization from the U.S.
- AstraZeneca did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.