Benzinga | Sep 30, 2021 03:16PM EDT

AstraZeneca COVID-19 Jab Shows 74% Efficacy In US Trial

* Reuters reported that large U.S. trial results of AstraZeneca Plc's (NASDAQ:AZN) COVID-19 vaccine demonstrated 74% efficacy at preventing symptomatic disease.

* In people aged 65 and older, the efficacy increased to 83.5%

* Overall efficacy of 74% was lower than the interim 79% reported in March, a result AstraZeneca revised days later to 76% after a rare public rebuke from health officials that the figure was based on "outdated information."

* The study included data from more than 26,000 volunteers in the United States, Chile, and Peru.

* There were no cases of severe or critical symptomatic COVID-19 among the more than 17,600 participants who got the vaccine, compared with 8 cases among the 8,500 volunteers on placebo.

* There were also two deaths in the placebo group but none among those who received the vaccine.

* "I was pleasantly surprised," Dr. Anna Durbin, a vaccine researcher at Johns Hopkins University and one of the study's investigators, said of the overall result. "It was also highly protective against severe disease and hospitalization," she said.

* No blood clotting side effects linked to the vaccine were observed during the study.

* AstraZeneca said it plans to file for full approval with the FDA rather than seek emergency use authorization.

* Price Action: AZN stock is up 1.41% at $60.51 during the market session on the last check Thursday.

* Photo by Paul McManus from Pixabay