AstraZeneca global withdrawal of COVID vaccine, citing commercial motives, report reveals

PTC News Desk: AstraZeneca, a British pharmaceutical company, has announced a global withdrawal of its COVID-19 vaccine, developed in collaboration with Oxford University. 

This decision comes shortly after reports surfaced acknowledging rare side effects associated with the vaccine. The jab, known as Covishield when produced by the Serum Institute of India, is now being pulled from distribution worldwide due to what AstraZeneca cites as commercial reasons.

According to a report by The Telegraph, AstraZeneca states that the withdrawal is prompted by a surplus of updated COVID-19 vaccines available globally, specifically designed to address emerging variants of the virus. This move entails the voluntary withdrawal of the vaccine’s marketing authorization in the European Union and discontinuation of its production, rendering it unusable. Similar actions are expected to follow in other countries where the vaccine has been administered.

This development unfolds amidst legal challenges faced by AstraZeneca, including a 100 million pound lawsuit in the UK alleging that the COVID-19 jab led to deaths and injuries. Court documents revealed AstraZeneca’s acknowledgment in February of rare instances where the vaccine could cause Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS), a condition involving blood clots and low blood platelet count.

The syndrome has been linked to at least 81 deaths in the UK. Despite these legal battles, AstraZeneca denies any direct correlation between the withdrawal of Covishield and ongoing litigation.

In response to the withdrawal, AstraZeneca emphasised its vaccine’s significant contribution to combating the pandemic, with over 6.5 million lives estimated to have been saved within the first year of its use, and over three billion doses supplied globally. The company expressed willingness to collaborate with regulators and partners to navigate the conclusion of this chapter in the pandemic response.

Experts anticipate that all “monovalent” vaccines, targeting the original COVID-19 strain, will eventually be withdrawn and replaced by updated vaccines capable of addressing a broader spectrum of virus variants.