A panel reviewing AstraZeneca’s vaccine trial data in the U.S. said Tuesday that AstraZeneca may have included outdated information in trials results. According to the American’s Data and Safety Monitoring Board there is a concern that this cherry-picking results may have provided an incomplete view of the efficacy data, that was disclosed as 79% efficient for symptomatic COVID-19 cases.
“We urge the company to work with the DSMB to review the efficacy data and ensure the most accurate, up-to-date efficacy data be made public as quickly as possible,” it said.
On its behalf, AstraZeneca said that the numbers published were based on a pre-specified interim analysis with a data cut-off of 17 February.
“We have reviewed the preliminary assessment of the primary analysis and the results were consistent with the interim analysis. We are now completing the validation of the statistical analysis. We will immediately engage with the independent data safety monitoring board to share our primary analysis with the most up to date efficacy data. We intend to issue results of the primary analysis within 48 hours,” it said on Tuesday.