ASTRAZENECA has come out to allay concerns of its Covid-19 vaccine for those aged 65 and above saying there are studies to prove its efficacy among seniors.

The British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant told The Malaysian Insight the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended the use of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine in those aged above 65 years old without any dose adjustment.

The European Commission has also approved the conditional marketing authorisation for the vaccine, developed in the United Kingdom, including its use on senior citizens, the firm said.

“The most recent The Lancet publication demonstrated that older adults showed strong immune responses to the vaccine, with 100% of older adults generating spike-specific antibodies after the second dose,” a spokesman said.

“More data will continue to accumulate across all age groups and diversity and additional analyses will be conducted, refining the efficacy findings across a broader age range and over a longer period of time.”

In Malaysia, the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) had granted the AZD1222 vaccine a conditional approval for active immunisation of individuals aged 18 years and above.

The approval was given on March 2.

“This conditional registration will provide millions of Malaysians with access to AstraZeneca’s effective, well-tolerated and simple-to-administer vaccine once supply becomes available,” it said.

“With the first batch of doses expected to arrive in the second quarter of 2021, we aim to fulfil our commitment to provide broad and equitable access at no profit by working closely with the Malaysian government.”

Concerns about the vaccine were recently raised by the Canadian National Advisory Committee on Immunisations (NACI) recently which recommended against its use among older people.

France and Germany previously shunned the use of the vaccine in the elderly, citing the lack of data on its effectiveness among senior citizens.

The two countries, however, have since reversed their stance.

Reports state that stock of the vaccines was going unused in both countries.

The utilisation rate of the AstraZeneca jab in France stood at 24%, which is way below the utilisation target of 80-85%.

In Germany, two-thirds of the 1.4 million doses delivered remained in storage as of early March.

The French health authorities, however, are now recommending the AstraZeneca jab to anyone aged between 65 and 74.

Last week, the German health ministry reported that its independent vaccine committee has now formally approved the Covid-19 jab for those belonging to that age group.

The earlier stance on the vaccine triggered doubts on its efficacy, although data from Britain show that the vaccine is effective in senior citizens.

French President Emmanuel Macron previously described the AstraZeneca jab as “quasi-ineffective for people over 65”, merely hours before it was approved by the EMA. – March 9, 2021