AstraZeneca kick-starts new COVID variant-busting vaccine test

AstraZeneca has come under a lot of slack for its perceived poor communication and weaker results than its mRNA rivals, but the U.K. Big Pharma is still gunning in the COVID vaccine R&D game as its steps up to beat back new variants.

AZ said Monday morning that it has started testing its new COVID vaccine, known as AZD2816, as a tweaked version using the same platform as its authorized (though not in the U.S.) pandemic vaccine AZD1222, aka Covishield/Vaxzevria.