AstraZeneca is withdrawing its Covid vaccine worldwide, months after the pharmaceutical giant admitted it can cause a rare and dangerous side effect.
The vaccine, developed by the University of Oxford, can no longer be used in the European Union after the company voluntarily withdrew its “marketing authorisation”, which comes into effect today.
Similar requests to withdraw the vaccine will be made in other countries that had previously approved it, including the UK.
The Australian Therapeutic Goods Authority suspended use of the vaccine in April 2023.
The vaccine, once heralded as a “triumph for British science”, has come under intense scrutiny in recent months for a very rare side effect that causes blood clots and low blood platelet counts.
The AstraZeneca vaccine was the most widely used in the UK during the initial rollout of the vaccination programme, before it was linked to a risk of blood clots.
AstraZeneca admitted in February that the vaccine can, in very rare cases, cause thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, which has been linked to more than 80 deaths in Britain, as well as hundreds of serious injuries.
More than 50 alleged victims and grieving relatives are suing the company in a Superior Court case.
However, AstraZeneca denies that the decision to withdraw the vaccine is related to the court case, insisting that the vaccine is being withdrawn from the markets for commercial reasons.
The company said in court documents that the vaccine is reportedly no longer manufactured or supplied, having been replaced by updated vaccines that address newer variants.
In a statement to the Daily Telegraph, the company said: “We are incredibly proud of the role Vaxzevria played in ending the global pandemic.
‘According to independent estimates, more than 6.5 million lives were saved in the first year of use alone and more than three billion doses were delivered worldwide.
‘Our efforts have been recognized by governments around the world and are widely considered a critical component in ending the global pandemic.
Researchers believe this rare side effect is because the modified cold virus hiding in the injection has an adverse effect on platelets in the blood, causing them to clot.
The graph shows the cumulative number of Covid jabs administered in the UK since the pandemic began, the percentage of each age group who have received a jab (bottom left) and the number of each brand of Covid vaccine administered.
‘As multiple variants of Covid-19 vaccines have since been developed, there is a surplus of updated vaccines available.
‘This has led to a decline in demand for Vaxzevria, which is no longer manufactured or supplied. For this reason, AstraZeneca has made the decision to begin the withdrawal of marketing authorizations for Vaxzevria in Europe.
“We will now work with regulators and our partners to align on a clear path forward to conclude this chapter and a significant contribution to the Covid-19 pandemic.”