Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca has withdrawn its Covid-19 vaccine worldwide, citing the surplus of newer vaccines as its reason. It was announced for the first time two weeks ago that its vaccine can cause a rare side effect.
AstraZeneca, which developed its vaccine at the University of Oxford, said newer shots have caused a decline in demand for its vaccine. It is thus no longer being manufactured or supplied.
The announcement comes after the pharmaceutical company in March voluntarily withdrew its European Union marketing authorization, which is the approval to market a medicine in member states.
On May 7th, the European Medicines Agency issued a notice that the vaccine is no longer authorized for use. In a statement, AstraZeneca said the decision was made because there is now a variety of newer vaccines available that target Covid-19 variants. This resulted in declining demand for the AstraZeneca vaccine.
“According to independent estimates, over 6.5 million lives were saved in the first year of use alone, and over 3 [billion] doses were supplied globally,” the statement said.
“Our efforts have been [recognized] by governments around the world and are widely regarded as being a critical component of ending the global pandemic,” it was said. “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.”
Other nations have already stopped supplying the vaccine. It has not been available for use in Australia since March 2023 despite its use being phased out in June 2021 due to the widespread availability of newer vaccines.
The company changed the name of its Covid vaccine to Vaxzevria in 2021. The shot was authorized for use in people aged eighteen and older. It was delivered as two injections, typically into the muscle of the upper arm, around three months apart. It was also used by some countries as a booster shot.
Vaxzevria is comprised of another virus of the adenovirus family modified to contain the gene for making a protein from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The vaccine does not contain the virus itself and cannot cause the virus.
AstraZeneca admits its vaccine can cause rare side effects
AstraZeneca admitted for the first time recently in court documents that its Covid vaccine can cause rare side effects. The company is now being sued in class action over claims that its shot caused death and serious injury in dozens of cases.
Lawyers argue the vaccine produced a side effect that has had a devastating effect on a small number of families. The first case was lodged last year by Jamie Scott, a father of two. He was left with a permanent brain injury after developing a blood clot and a bleed on the brain that prevented him from working after receiving the vaccine in April 2021. The hospital reportedly called his wife three times to tell her that her husband would die.