S.Korea to approve AstraZeneca as first COVID-19 vaccine, including for elderly (updated)

SK Chemicals

10/02/2021 06:15

(Adds quotes, context)
    By Sangmi Cha
    SEOUL, Feb 10 (Reuters) - South Korea on Wednesday said it
would grant its first approval for a coronavirus vaccine to
AstraZeneca  AZN.L , and will allow use in people 65 years or
older, despite advisory panels' warning of a lack of data on its
efficacy for the elderly
    Regulators will grant AstraZeneca's vaccine emergency
authorisation under the condition the company must submit its
full clinical trial results, Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip
told a news conference.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nS8N2J104Y
    "However, we have added a precautionary line for cautious
decision for use of the shots the elderly aged 65 and older,"
Kim said.
    Several European countries have warned that the shot should
only be given to those ages 18 to 64, and such concerns had
threatened to upend South Korea's plan to prioritise elderly
residents and medical workers in the first round of
vaccinations.
    On Monday, authorities sought to reassure elderly residents
after a panel of advisers urged caution over the use of the
AstraZeneca vaccine for people older than 65 because of a lack
of data.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2KB081 urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2KE0AE
    AstraZeneca and the chief of clinical trials for Britain's
Oxford University, which co-developed the vaccine, have said it
triggers a good immune response in older people.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nS8N2II07M
    The approved doses for South Korea are produced by SK
bioscience, the drugmaking arm of SK Chemicals  285130.KS , Kim
said.
    The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) had
said vaccinations will begin on Feb. 26 with about 1.5 million
doses of AstraZeneca vaccines, enough for 750,000 people.
 urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2KE0AE It will inoculate about 10 million high-risk people
by July and aim to reach herd immunity by November.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2K30CH
    The ministry has asked to receive by April final clinical
trial results from AstraZeneca's survey in the United States on
about 30,000 people. The study includes around 7,500 elderly
people, Kim said.
    He added that the KDCA is reviewing the efficacy of the
AstraZeneca-Oxford shot on new UK or South African variants,
after uncertainty over protection. Oxford had said its vaccine
has similar efficacy against the British coronavirus variant as
it does to the previously circulating variants.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N2KB4NQ
    The KDCA reported 444 new COVID-19 cases by Tuesday,
bringing the total number of infections to 81,930, with 1,486
deaths. The daily cases rebounded above 400 ahead of the Lunar
New Year holiday, boosted by cluster infections mostly in near
the capital Seoul.

 (Reporting by Sangmi Cha; Writing by Josh Smith; Editing by
Christopher Cushing)
 ((Sangmi.Cha@thomsonreuters.com; +82 2 3704 5646; Reuters
Messaging: sangmi.cha.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))