UK MHRA commences accelerated review for AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate

MHRA has started an accelerated review of its potential coronavirus vaccine, informed AstraZeneca.

“We confirm the MHRA’s (Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency) rolling review of our potential COVID-19 vaccine,” an AstraZeneca spokesman said.

In rolling reviews, regulators are able to see clinical data in real-time and have a dialogue with drug makers on manufacturing processes and trials to accelerate the approval process.

The approach is designed to speed up evaluations of promising drugs or vaccines during a public health emergency.

AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine is being developed along with the University of Oxford. MHRA has also begun an accelerated review for the COVID-19 vaccine candidate from Pfizer.

The British drugmaker said its COVID-19 experimental vaccine produces an immune response in both old and young adults. The vaccine also triggers lower adverse responses among the elderly, it said.

Work began on the Oxford vaccine in January. Called AZD1222 or ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, the viral vector vaccine is made from a weakened version of a common cold virus that causes infections in chimpanzees.