Dangerous adverse effect: Producer withdraws widely used COVID-19 vaccine

The Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is being recalled globally because of a potentially fatal and uncommon side effect.

According to The Telegraph, this finding occurred months after the multinational pharmaceutical company initially acknowledged in court filings that the vaccine may have an uncommon and potentially harmful adverse effect.

This was revealed by the business in a statement on Tuesday.

Following the company’s voluntary withdrawal of its “marketing authorisation,” the vaccine is no longer permitted for use in the European Union.

The withdrawal was requested on March 5 and became effective the following Tuesday.

The UK and other nations that have already authorized the vaccine, also known as Vaxzevria, will be filing similar applications.

The jab, which was hailed by Boris Johnson as a “triumph for British science” and credited with saving over six million lives, will no longer be used as a result of the decision to withdraw it.

AstraZeneca announced that the vaccine was being taken off the market for profit.

The vaccine’s maker also stated that it was no longer produced or supplied, claiming that more recent vaccinations that address novel variations have taken its place.

The statement read, “We are incredibly proud of the role Vaxzevria played in ending the global pandemic. According to independent estimates, over 6.5 million lives were saved in the first year of use alone and over three billion doses were supplied globally.

“Our efforts have been recognised by governments around the world and are widely regarded as being a critical component of ending the global pandemic.

“As multiple, variant Covid-19 vaccines have since been developed, there is a surplus of available updated vaccines. This has led to a decline in demand for Vaxzevria, which is no longer being manufactured or supplied. AstraZeneca has therefore taken the decision to initiate withdrawal of the marketing authorisations for Vaxzevria within Europe.

“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.”

A very uncommon side effect of the Vaxzevria vaccine that involved blood clots and low blood platelet counts brought the vaccine under intense investigation in recent months.

In court filings with the High Court in February, AstraZeneca admitted that the vaccination may, in extremely rare circumstances, result in thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome.

Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome, or TTS, has been linked to multiple severe injuries and at least 81 fatalities in the United Kingdom.

AstraZeneca is currently being sued in a High Court action by bereaved family members and more than fifty others who allege they suffered as a result of TTS.

AstraZeneca claimed that neither the ongoing legal procedures nor their recognition of the vaccine’s possible link to TTS had any bearing on their decision to withdraw the vaccination.

They said that this withdrawal’s timing is entirely accidental.