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Findings from the study, yet to be published in a peer-reviewed
medical journal, match those from rivals Pfizer-BioNTech and
Moderna which have also found a third dose of their shots works
against Omicron.
The study on AstraZeneca's vaccine, Vaxzevria, showed that after
a three-dose course of the vaccine, neutralising levels against
Omicron were broadly similar to those against the virus's Delta
variant after two doses.
The London-listed company said researchers at Oxford University
who carried out the study were independent from those who worked
on the vaccine with AstraZeneca.
"As we better understand Omicron, we believe we will find that
T-cell response provides durable protection against severe
disease and hospitalisations," Mene Pangalos, the head of
AstraZeneca's biopharmaceuticals R&D said, referring to a
critical component of the immune system that respond to fight
infection.
Antibody levels against Omicron after the booster shot were
higher than antibodies in people who had been infected with and
recovered naturally from COVID-19, the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker
added.
Although the early data is positive for the company, AstraZeneca
said on Tuesday it was working with its partner Oxford
University to produce a vaccine tailored for Omicron, joining
similar efforts from other vaccine-makers.
The Oxford study analysed blood samples from those infected with
COVID-19, those vaccinated with two doses and a booster, and
those previously infected with other variants of concern. It
included samples from 41 people given three doses of Vaxzevria.
Scientists and governments are scrambling to bolster defences
against Omicron with shots and therapies, as the variant
threatens to become dominant globally and has prompted renewed
curbs ahead of the holidays to contain infections.
Britain earlier this month backed the use of boosters after it
found that a third dose significantly restored protection
against mild disease caused by Omicron, in part reversing an
otherwise steep drop in vaccine effectiveness.
(Reporting by Pushkala Aripaka in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak
Dasgupta, John Stonestreet and Elaine Hardcastle)
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