Alternating COVID-19 vaccines trial begins in young people
A University of Oxford trial into whether different COVID-19 vaccines can be given in the first and second dose is due to begin in 12 to 16-year-olds.
The NIHR-supported Com-COV 3 study will recruit 360 volunteers at four sites in England, including up to 100 at Oxford Vaccine Group. Parental consent is required to 12 to 15-year-olds while 16-year-olds can provide consent.
It will look at whether a different vaccine can be given for the second dose in those who have had the Pfizer vaccine for their first dose. They can get the first dose through the trial or join if they have had it through the NHS.
For the second vaccine, participants will be randomly allocated a full or half dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, a full dose of the Novavax vaccine or a half dose of the Moderna vaccine. They will not know which second vaccine they received.
Researchers will assess reactogenicity (side effects) and immune system responses to the different vaccine combinations.
Professor Matthew Snape, Associate Professor in Paediatrics and Vaccinology at the University of Oxford, and Chief Investigator on the trial, said: “This study will provide vital information on the range of options for immunising teenagers against COVID-19 in the UK.
“As well as looking at the standard two full doses of the Pfizer vaccine, we will look at how well volunteers respond when their second dose of Pfizer is half that of the first dose, or if different vaccines are used altogether, such as the vaccines manufactured by Moderna or Novavax. This will provide the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation with information crucial to informing their advice about immunising teenagers in the UK.”
The study hopes to report initial results by December. If the results are promising, regulators MHRA and JCVI would formally assess the safety and efficacy of any new vaccination process before advising whether it is rolled out to patients.
Those who are interested can register via the study website https://comcovstudy.org.uk
The study is backed through funding from the Vaccines Taskforce and National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and by the National Immunisation Schedule Evaluation Consortium.
