Don't Hype the Hope for Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid Vaccine
There's cause for optimism, but the race still has miles to go.
The initial data is out from the first human trials of a Covid vaccine, and the news is good.
Photographer: Pool/Oxford UniversityAfter months of hype, the world finally has human trial data from a front-running vaccine collaboration between the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca Plc. Spoiler alert, it’s good news.
The data, published in The Lancet Monday, showed that the vaccine produced an encouraging immune response. Just as crucially, perhaps, no significant safety issues emerged. Investors took these developments as a cue to bid up AstraZeneca shares as they did with Moderna Inc.’s stock last week on its positive vaccine news. And there are indeed elements of the Oxford-Astra shot’s profile that may make it especially promising. But it's important to remember that this early stage in the process, every piece of vaccine data is still just part of a thesis that needs confirmation.