Astra Zeneca announced the global halt of Covid19 vaccine

After facing a 100 million pound lawsuit in the UK, Astra Zeneca, the pharmaceutical company that produced the Covid-19 vaccine is all set to withdraw it from the global market. This came weeks after the company admitted the rare side effects of the vaccine. In India, the same vaccine (covishield) was produced in collaboration with Serum Institute of India.

However, the company cited the withdrawal for some commercial reasons due to a “surplus of available updated vaccines”. The company claimed that the updated version will be able to counter new variants of Covid19 virus. The pharma giants acknowledged the decline in demands for the vaccine, they further said that the vaccine is no longer being manufactured or supplied.

The lawsuit claims that the administration of the vaccine has caused several deaths and injuries. The company accepted in court that the vaccine “in very rare cases, cause TTS or Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome” which is a rare disease that causes blood clotting and a decline in blood platelet levels. This rare condition has led to 82 deaths in the UK.

“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. Our efforts have been recognised by governments around the world and are widely regarded as being a critical component of ending the global pandemic. As multiple, variant Covid-19 vaccines have since been developed, there is a surplus of available updated vaccines. 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,” said Astra Zeneca.

It is to be noted that, the company has denied the claims of withdrawal being linked to the court cases.

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