The pharmaceutical company says the new shots have led to a drop in demand of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is no longer produced or supplied
The Guardian – 8 May 2024
AstraZeneca has begun a worldwide recall of its Covid-19 vaccine due to a “surplus of available updated vaccines” that target new variants of the virus.
The announcement follows the pharmaceutical company’s decision in March to voluntarily withdraw its European Union marketing authorization, or approval to market a medicine in member states.
The European Medicines Agency issued a warning on May 7 that the vaccine is no longer authorized for use.
In a statement, AstraZeneca said the decision was made because a variety of newer vaccines are now available that have been adapted to target Covid-19 variants. This had led to a drop in demand for the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is no longer produced or supplied.
“According to independent estimates, in the first year of use alone, over 6.5 million human lives were saved and over 3 billion doses were provided globally,” the statement reads.
“Our efforts have been recognized by governments around the world and are widely seen as a critical component to ending the global pandemic. We will now work with regulators and our partners to align on a clear path forward to end this chapter and make a meaningful contribution to the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Other countries have already stopped providing the vaccine. It has not been available for use in Australia since March 2023, although its use had already been phased out from June 2021 due to the widespread availability of newer vaccines.
AstraZeneca changed the name of its Covid vaccine to Vaxzevria in 2021. The vaccine was authorized for use in those aged 18 and over, administered as two injections, usually into the upper arm muscle, about three months later. It has also been used by some countries as a booster.
Vaxzevria consists of another virus from the adenovirus family that has been modified to contain the gene to produce a protein from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. The vaccine does not contain the virus itself and cannot cause it.
While the vaccine was found to be safe and effective overall, it carried the risk of a rare but serious side effect, known as thrombosis with thrombocytopenia, or TTS. The rare syndrome has occurred in about two to three people out of 100,000 vaccinated with the Vaxzevria vaccine.
Epidemiology chair at Deakin University in Australia, Professor Catherine Bennett, said the vaccine played a vital role in the global fight against the virus, particularly in the early days of the pandemic when available vaccines were limited.
“He saved millions of lives and that should not be forgotten,” he said.
“It was a really important part of the initial global response. However, it targeted early ancestral variants. We have now entered a vaccine pipeline where we have products available that target the variants that are emerging.
“There is also a change in the risk calculation, as populations are much more protected and, although Covid obviously still causes deaths, we are overall less vulnerable to the disease.”
The latest Covid-19 vaccine advisory issued by the World Health Organization in April advised that Covid-19 vaccine formulations should target the JN.1 lineage of the virus, which is replacing existing XBB lineage variants.
Note:
At the end of April 2024, the Anglo-Swedish company admitted for the first time in court documents during legal proceedings in London that its Covid vaccine can cause thrombosis as a rare side effect. The admission could pave the way for multimillion-dollar settlements, according to British media.
On this front, in recent days a first group of 12 of the 51 families who had sued the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical giant in London as part of a class action potentially millionaire relating to collateral damage – sometimes fatal – attributed to the anti-Covid vaccine produced by the company has announced that it has given up pursuing the request for compensation for damages before the High Court of the British capital. (source: extract from il Sole 24 ORE)
