Days after Covishield maker AstraZeneca admitted in a UK Court that its vaccine may cause rare serious side effects, the pharma company has initiated a global withdrawal of its COVID-19 vaccine.
The vaccine, developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, was produced by the Serum Institute of India as Covishield.
The vaccine maker said the worldwide withdrawal was initiated for commercial reasons due to a "surplus of available updated vaccines" for COVID-19, The Telegraph reported. AstraZeneca said the vaccine was superseded by updated vaccines that tackle new variants.
Also Read: Parents to sue AstraZeneca, allege daughter died after taking Covishield
The company voluntarily withdrew its “marketing authorisation” in the European Union, adding that the vaccine was no longer being produced and could no longer be used. Similar withdrawals will be made across other countries that have been using the vaccine.
AstraZeneca is facing a 100 million pound lawsuit in the UK over claims that the Covid jab caused deaths and injuries to several people.
AstraZeneca admitted in one of the court documents in February that Covishield can, "in very rare cases, cause TTS or Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome."
“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. Governments worldwide have recognised our efforts and are regarded as critical to ending the global pandemic.
“As multiple variant Covid-19 vaccines have since been developed, a surplus of available updated vaccines exists. 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," AstraZeneca said in a statement.
Follow us
