The withdrawal of Vaxzevria, a COVID-19 vaccine developed in partnership with Oxford University and AstraZeneca, has been announced by the pharmaceutical company. The vaccine was withdrawn from use in the European Union on March 5, and similar applications are expected in other countries including the United Kingdom in the coming months.
The decision to withdraw Vaxzevria was due to advancements in alternative vaccines that are effective against newer virus variants. However, this move comes amidst a class action lawsuit against AstraZeneca in the UK, where more than 50 alleged victims and their families claim serious injuries and deaths resulting from the vaccine.
In February, AstraZeneca acknowledged that the vaccine can cause TTS (thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome) in very rare cases. However, they also argued that TTS can occur without vaccination and that a causal link must be established on a case-by-case basis. In Belgium, two individuals died of TTS following vaccination with COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen and Vaxzevria as reported by the Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products (FAGG) in January 2022.
Independent studies have shown that Vaxzevria saved over 6 million lives globally within its first year of use. Despite this, there have been at least 81 deaths in the UK related to side effects caused by clotting in individuals with platelet deficiency following vaccination with Vaxzevria. There have also been hundreds of cases of serious injuries reported worldwide. However, regulators worldwide continue to emphasize that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks of extremely rare potential side effects.
