AstraZeneca (AZ) has announced that new real-world data from Canada shows its COVID-19 vaccine – Vaxzevria – was found to be highly effective after one dose against severe disease or hospitalisation caused by the Beta and Delta variants.
The pre-print results, from the Canadian Immunization Research Network (CIRN) with support from Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health, showed one dose of Vaxzevria was 82% effective against hospitalisation or death caused by the Beta and Gamma COVID-19 variants.
On top of that, AZ’s jab showed high efficacy against the Delta and Alpha variants, showing an 87% reduction and 90% reduction of hospitalisations or deaths respectively.
One dose of Vaxzevria had lower efficacy against milder symptomatic disease than against severe disease, although AZ added that the indicated two dose schedule of the vaccine is known to enhance efficacy in this disease setting.
The vaccine’s effectiveness against any symptomatic disease was 50% for the Beta or Gamma variants, and 70% and 72% against the Delta and Alpha variants respectively.
The analysis included 69,533 individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 from December 2020 to May 2021 in Ontario, Canada, with 28,705 testing positive for non-variants of concern and 40,828 testing positive for a variant of concern.
“With different variants threatening to disrupt our route out of the pandemic, this real-world evidence shows that Vaxzevria, along with other vaccines used in Canada, provides a high level of protection against the most serious forms of the disease, even after just one shot,” Said Mene Pangalos, executive vice president, BioPharmaceuticals R&D at AZ.
“It is essential that we continue to protect as many people as possible in all corners of the world in order to get ahead of this deadly virus,” he added.
In a converging policy shift on both sides of the Atlantic, European regulators this week published a roadmap toward fully replacing animal testing for chemical safety assessments, while the US Environmental Protection Agency issued a rare update to its list of alternative test methods.
The global pharmaceutical fine chemicals sector is undergoing a profound transformation, with India emerging as a central growth engine amid sweeping changes in supply chain strategies and regulatory priorities. As drug makers and contract manufacturers adapt to stricter oversight and evolving sourcing preferences, the industry’s focus is shifting rapidly from cost efficiency to compliance, localisation and technical sophistication.
Stakeholders are being encouraged to weigh in on the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) 60-day public consultation period related to a planned ban on per-and-polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) substances, also known as forever chemicals.
We’re pleased to share an important milestone in our sustainability journey.
ExSyn has been awarded the EcoVadis Platinum Medal, placing us among the top 1% of companies globally evaluated for environmental, social and ethical performance.
While fears around a complete shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz primarily raise concerns around oil prices and energy security, recent history shows that even partial disruptions or security threats along key sea routes can quickly spill over into freight inflation, longer transit times and working capital stress for exporters and importers.
The European Union (EU) has agreed to offer Indian pharmaceutical and medical devices companies preferential access to EU market, along with cutting tariffs on 97.5 percent of chemical products to zero.
As we approach the close of this year, we at ExSyn would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude for your trust, collaboration, and continued support. Your confidence in our products and services has been the driving force behind our growth and success.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced significant action to make it faster and less costly to develop biosimilar medicines, which are lower-cost “generic” alternatives to biologic drugs that treat serious and chronic diseases.
Products containing titanium dioxide in the EU are no longer required to carry warnings about cancer risk, after the European Chemicals Agency (Echa) revoked its classification as a suspected carcinogen. The move follows a June 2025 decision by the Court of Justice of the European Union and means that safety data sheets, labelling and packaging requirements for titanium dioxide have been relaxed across industries including paints, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and food.