AstraZeneca withdraws COVID vaccine days after side effect row, cites commercial reasons

By Team Asianet Newsable | First Published May 8, 2024, 8:44 AM IST

The pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine is being withdrawn worldwide days after the firm acknowledged in court documents that it can cause a rare and dangerous side effect.

The pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine is being withdrawn globally after the company acknowledged in court documents that it can cause a rare and dangerous side effect. However, the pharmaceutical giant stated that the vaccine is being pulled off the market for business reasons.

According to the Telegraph, the business has announced that the vaccine will no longer be made or supplied. The pharmaceutical company has denied that the removal of the vaccine is related to their admission that it might cause TTS - Thrombosis Thrombocytopenia Syndrome.

TTS leads to blood clots and a low blood platelet count in humans and has been linked to over 81 deaths in the UK. AstraZeneca said that the decision to withdraw Covishield is not linked to the court case.

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The vaccine is no longer licenced for use in the European Union since the firm voluntarily revoked its "marketing authorisation". The withdrawal application was submitted on March 5 and became effective on Tuesday. Similar withdrawal petitions will be filed in the United Kingdom and other nations that have already authorised the vaccine, known as Vaxzevria.

AstraZeneca stated that it launched the worldwide withdrawal for commercial reasons, citing a "surplus of available updated vaccines" for COVID-19. It said that the vaccination was supplanted by newer vaccines that address new variations.

The manufacturer is facing a £100 million lawsuit in the UK on claims that the Covid vaccine killed and injured many people. In February, it confessed in court filings that its vaccination Covishield can "in very rare cases, cause TTS or Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome"

"As multiple, variant Covid-19 vaccines have since been developed, there is a surplus of available updated vaccines. We will now work with regulators and our partners to align on a clear path forward to conclude this chapter and significant contribution to the Covid-19 pandemic,” AstraZeneca said in a statement.

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