Oxford vaccine to be 95 pc effective at par with Moderna and Pfizer, says maker AstraZeneca

Last month, the interim results of the phase III trials data released by the pharma company showed that the vaccine has a 70 per cent rate of effectiveness as an average of two doses. However,  AstraZeneca told British daily the Sunday Times that the scientists have come up with a "winning formula to get efficacy up there with everyone else".

Chief Executive of AstraZeneca Pascal Soriot said the Oxford vaccine will not only have a rate of efficacy of 95 per cent but also should be effective against the newly surfaced aggressive mutant strain which was first detected in the UK in September last.

According to media reports, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) is waiting for the British drug regulator to clear the Oxford vaccine for emergency use authorisation in India.

Apart from the Oxford vaccine, Pfizer and Bharat Biotech are the other two vaccines being considered for emergency use authorisation.

Compared to the vaccine manufactured by Pfizer and Moderna, Oxford vaccine is priced much lower. While Pfizer and Moderna vaccines cost $$20 and $25, respectively, Oxford vaccine costs just $ 2.5.

Meanwhile, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said India would start vaccination in any week of January as the government is preparing to roll out whichever vaccine is cleared first.