AstraZeneca Pulls COVID-19 Vaccine: Days after admitting it had a rare side effect of blood clots and low platelet counts, UK-based pharmaceutical major AstraZeneca has begun withdrawing its COVID-19 vaccine from the global market. The vaccine was provided in India as Covishield in partnership with Serum Institute of India.
According to the company, the withdrawal was initiated due to a surplus of updated vaccines since the pandemic.
AstraZeneca partnered with Oxford University to develop the COVID-19 vaccine, which was sold as Covishield in India and Vaxzevria in Europe.
In addition, multiple, variant COVID-19 vaccines have since been developed, resulting in a surplus of updated vaccines. This has resulted in a decline in demand for Vaxzervria, which is no longer available.
The company continued, “We will now work with regulators and our partners to align on a clear path forward to conclude this chapter and make a significant contribution to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Global media reports have reported that AstraZeneca admitted its COVID-19 vaccine could in very rare cases cause Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS).
Without referring to the side effects, the company said, “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.” It further said, “our efforts have been recognised by governments around the world and are widely regarded as being a critical component of ending the global pandemic.”
Covishield vaccines were administered in the majority of COVID-19 doses in India.
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