AstraZeneca has decided to globally pull its COVID-19 vaccine from circulation, following months after acknowledging potential rare yet severe side effects associated with the drug.
The British-Swedish pharmaceutical company had already terminated its European Union marketing approval for the vaccine, known as Vaxzevria, since 2021.
This approval grants the right to market a drug within the EU member states. A surplus of alternative updated vaccines targeting new strains of the virus prompted this decision, according to the company.
The request to withdraw the vaccine from the EU was submitted on March 5th and officially enacted on May 7th.
“As multiple variant Covid-19 vaccines have since been developed, there’s a surplus of available updated vaccines,” AstraZeneca said, adding that this led to a fall in demand for Vaxzevria, which is no longer manufactured or supplied.
According to The Telegraph, AstraZeneca has acknowledged that its vaccine, originally known as Covishield, may lead to uncommon side effects such as blood clots and decreased blood platelet levels.
This acknowledgement followed a class action lawsuit in the UK alleging that the vaccine was responsible for fatalities and significant harm, with claims seeking damages totaling up to £100m on behalf of approximately 50 affected individuals.
“It is admitted that the AZ vaccine can, in very rare cases, cause TTS. The causal mechanism is not known,” AstraZeneca said in court documents in February, the newspaper reported.
TTS, short for Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome, manifests as blood clots alongside diminished blood platelet levels in humans. AstraZeneca’s vaccine, a product of collaboration between Oxford University and the Serum Institute of India, saw widespread use in more than 150 nations, including the UK and India.
Initially hailed for its purported effectiveness of 60 to 80 percent against the novel coronavirus, subsequent investigations revealed its potential to trigger life-threatening blood clotting issues in some recipients.
This revelation starkly contrasted AstraZeneca’s previous stance in 2023, when it adamantly denied any connection between the vaccine and TTS.
The World Health Organization echoed concerns about the vaccine’s adverse effects, acknowledging rare instances of Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome, marked by severe and uncommon blood clotting events alongside reduced platelet counts, occurring post-vaccination.
