Publications by authors named "J Vekemans"

Background: Tuberculosis vaccine trials using disease as the primary endpoint are large, time consuming, and expensive. An earlier immunological measure of the protection against disease would accelerate tuberculosis vaccine development. We aimed to assess whether the effectiveness of the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine for prevention of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection was consistent with that for prevention of tuberculosis disease.

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AZD1222 (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) is a replication-deficient adenoviral vectored coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) vaccine that is manufactured as SII-ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 by the Serum Institute of India Pvt Ltd following technology transfer from Oxford University/AstraZeneca. The non-inferiority of SII-ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 with AZD1222 was previously demonstrated in an observer-blind, phase 2/3 immuno-bridging study (trial registration: CTRI/2020/08/027170). In this analysis of immunogenicity and safety data 6 months post first vaccination (Day 180), 1,601 participants were randomized 3:1 to SII-ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 or AZD1222 (immunogenicity/reactogenicity cohort  = 401) and 3:1 to SII-ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 or placebo (safety cohort  = 1,200).

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Article Synopsis
  • The study evaluated the efficacy and safety of AZD2816, a new COVID-19 vaccine variant, compared to the existing AZD1222 vaccine as booster shots for individuals who had previously received two doses of either vaccine.
  • Conducted across 23 sites in the UK and Poland, the mixed methods approach included random assignment of nearly 1,400 adult participants and ensured blinding of participants and research staff regarding the groups.
  • Results showed that both vaccines had similar safety profiles, with high percentages of participants reporting mild side effects, and demonstrated acceptable levels of antibody production against the virus.
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A new tuberculosis vaccine is a high priority. However, the classical development pathway is a major deterrent. Most tuberculosis cases arise within 2 years after Mycobacterium tuberculosis exposure, suggesting a 3-year trial period should be possible if sample size is large to maximize the number of early exposures.

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