AstraZeneca Recalls COVID-19 Vaccine Worldwide
Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca has announced that it has initiated a worldwide withdrawal of its COVID-19 vaccine due to an "oversupply of available updated vaccines" following the pandemic.
The vaccine can no longer be used in the European Union after the company voluntarily withdrew its "marketing authorisation". The application for the recall was submitted on 5 March and came into force on Tuesday 7 May.
Similar applications will be filed in the coming months in all countries that have approved the vaccine, known as Vaxzevria.
This is the first time the pharmaceutical giant has acknowledged in court documents that its COVID-19 vaccine can cause side effects, including thrombosis, in some cases.
In recent months, Vaxzevria has come under scrutiny for a very rare side effect that causes blood clots and low platelet counts. In court papers filed in the High Court in February, AstraZeneca admitted that the vaccine "may in very rare cases cause TTS".
TTS, which stands for thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, has been linked to at least 81 deaths in the UK, as well as hundreds of serious injuries. More than 50 alleged victims and grieving relatives have filed a lawsuit against AstraZeneca in the High Court.
However, AstraZeneca has stressed that the vaccine is being withdrawn from the markets for commercial reasons. According to the company, the vaccine is no longer being produced or supplied, and has been replaced by updated vaccines that fight new variants of the disease.
In turn, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine has not recorded any adverse events after vaccination with either the AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccine. Deputy Minister of Health, Chief State Sanitary Doctor Ihor Kuzin said this on the air of the nationwide telethon "United News", Ukrinform reports.