Rabat – Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has announced the withdrawal of its Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine worldwide. The decision comes after the company admitted, for the first time, in court documents that the vaccine can cause a rare and dangerous side effect.
However, in its statement announcing the decision, AstraZeneca cited a decrease in demand for its vaccine, attributing it to the availability of newer alternatives adapted to target emerging variants of the virus.
This decline prompted AstraZeneca to cease production and distribution of its COVID-19 vaccine globally, the statement said.
“As multiple, variant Covid-19 vaccines have … 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,” CNN quoted the company as saying.
The vaccine, known officially as Vaxzevria, is no longer authorized for use in the European Union, as AstraZeneca voluntarily withdrew its marketing authorization.
The British pharmaceutical company recently acknowledged in court documents that its COVID-19 vaccine can cause rare blood clots, known as Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS).
This admission comes in the wake of a £100 million lawsuit involving fifty-one cases, where victims and families are seeking damages.
One claimant, Jamie Scott, developed a blood clot and brain bleed after receiving the vaccine, resulting in permanent brain injury.
While AstraZeneca admitted TTS can be caused by the vaccine in rare cases, it disputed the generic causation. The company has faced criticism for taking a year to formally admit the vaccine’s potential side effects, despite its acceptance by the clinical community.
Despite its withdrawal, AstraZeneca highlighted the significant impact of its vaccine in the fight against the 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,” added the statement.
Countries such as Australia had already phased out the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine due to the widespread availability of newer alternatives.
The vaccine, initially branded as Vaxzevria in 2021, was authorized for individuals aged 18 and older, administered in two doses typically spaced three months apart.
