AstraZeneca Pulls Plug On Covid-19 Vaccine Amid Report On Rare Side Effects, Cites 'Commercial Reasons' For The Decision

British pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca is withdrawing the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine globally.

The company cited commercial reasons for the decision, noting that the vaccine had been surpassed by newer versions designed to address various emerging variants.

The vaccine, known as AZD1222, was developed in collaboration with the University of Oxford and has been discontinued in production and supply.

In India and other low-and-middle-income countries, it was manufactured and supplied under the name “Covishield” by Serum Institute of India (SII) through a licence from the university and the Swedish-British drugmaker.

AstraZeneca's decision to withdraw the vaccine follows the voluntary withdrawal of its marketing authorisation in the European Union, effective from Tuesday, an application for which was submitted on 5 March.

The move comes after AstraZeneca acknowledged in court documents in February that the vaccine could, in very rare cases, cause Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS), which leads to blood clots and a low blood platelet count.

Despite these issues, the company maintains that the withdrawal is unrelated to ongoing legal challenges or the side effects linked to the vaccine.

AstraZeneca insists the timing of the withdrawal is coincidental.

Legal proceedings are underway, with 51 cases filed in the UK High Court by victims and their families, seeking damages that could total up to 100 million pounds.

The plaintiffs had argued that the vaccine is "defective" and its benefits were "vastly overstated". AstraZeneca then strongly denied these claims.

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