AstraZeneca has withdrawn the Vaxzevria vaccine from use in the European Union due to its outdated nature and availability of newer alternatives. The withdrawal application was submitted on March 5 and took effect on Tuesday, with similar applications to be submitted in other countries including the UK.
In the UK, a class action lawsuit has been filed against AstraZeneca by more than 50 alleged victims and their relatives, claiming that the vaccine has caused serious injuries and even death in some cases. According to court documents from February, TTS can be caused by the vaccine in very rare cases. However, AstraZeneca argues that TTS can also occur without the vaccine and that a causal link would need to be proven in each individual case.
Reports suggest that at least 81 deaths in the UK are suspected to be linked to TTS and hundreds of serious injuries. Despite this, independent studies have shown that the vaccine may have saved over 6 million lives worldwide in its first year of use. In Belgium, two deaths related to TTS after receiving COVID-19 vaccinations were reported in January 2022.
AstraZeneca states that the withdrawal of the vaccine is a commercial decision based on its outdated nature and availability of newer alternatives. The company previously updated product information in April 2021 to include potential for rare side effects such as TTS. However, AstraZeneca maintains that the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks of rare side effects as affirmed by regulators worldwide. Both clinical trials and real-world data demonstrate an acceptable safety profile for Vaxzevria, making it an effective option for combatting different variants of COVID-19 virus.
