German health authorities have recommended the discontinuation of vaccinations for people older than 65 years using AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine because there is not enough evidence on the effectiveness for that high-risk age group.
The Standing Committee on Vaccination at the Robert Koch Institute, Germany's public health authority, made the recommendation in a statement released Friday.
"Due to the small number of study participants in the age group ≥65 years, no conclusion can be made regarding efficacy and safety in the elderly. This vaccine is therefore currently recommended by STIKO only for persons aged 18-64 years," a panel at the health authority said.
In response to the statement, AstraZeneca said that it had sufficient clinical trial data to support the efficacy of its vaccine on people over 65 years. The company said that it is awaiting a decision from EU regulators on the matter.
The UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said in a report that there was "limited information" to support the efficacy of the vaccine on patients aged 65 or over. However, the regulator said that there was also no evidence to suggest that it would not be effective.
"The data we have shows that the vaccine produces a strong immune response in the over-65s. More data is continually becoming available for this age group and our Public Assessment Report, available on our website, will be updated to reflect this," MHRA Chief Executive Dr. June Raine said.
Germany's announcement comes as EU countries continue to slam AstraZeneca for failing to meet its vaccine delivery commitments. AstraZeneca has cited production challenges as the main reason for the delays but EU leaders have stated that its reasoning was "unacceptable."
Due to delivery delays, some EU nations, including Germany, have slowed down their vaccination programs. Spain has already temporarily paused its vaccination program due to a lack of supply. The regional government of Madrid said that it will be prioritizing giving second doses to those who already got a shot.
Earlier in the week, EU leaders threatened to block exports of AstraZeneca's vaccine to make sure that doses go to EU member countries first.
