AstraZeneca announces global recall of COVID-19 vaccine

AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

According to AstraZeneca, the company will also withdraw the marketing license for the Vaxzevria vaccine in Europe.

“As multiple versions of the vaccine have been developed to protect against variants of the virus that causes COVID-19, there is now a surplus of modified vaccines available,” AstraZeneca said in a statement. This has led to a drop in demand for Vaxzevria, which is no longer being produced or supplied to the market, AstraZeneca said.

AstraZeneca is currently facing a class action lawsuit, in which the vaccine developed by this Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company in collaboration with the University of Oxford (UK) is said to have caused death and serious injury to dozens of users. Although it denies the above allegations, in a legal document submitted to the UK High Court in February, the company admitted that in very rare cases, the vaccine can cause venous thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS). AstraZeneca also noted that TTS can still occur without the company's vaccine or when receiving other vaccines. AstraZeneca emphasized that expert evidence is needed to determine the cause in each case.

Independent studies have shown that AstraZeneca's vaccine has been effective in protecting many people during the COVID-19 pandemic, saving more than 6 million lives globally in its first year of rollout. The World Health Organization (WHO) has said the vaccine is safe and effective for everyone aged 18 and older, and that side effects that have led to legal action are "very rare."

According to the Telegraph, the decision to recall AstraZeneca's vaccine takes effect from May 7.

AstraZeneca is now focusing on developing a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine and an obesity drug, after growth slowed due to a drop in sales of COVID-19 treatments.

According to baotintuc.vn

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