New Delhi: Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has announced the global withdrawal of its Covid-19 vaccine. The company cited a surplus of newer vaccine options as the primary reason behind this decision.
AstraZeneca has voluntarily withdrawn the “marketing authorization” for the vaccine within the European Union, with similar applications expected to be made in other countries where the vaccine was previously approved.
This decision comes amidst ongoing legal battles faced by AstraZeneca, including allegations linking its vaccine, developed in collaboration with the University of Oxford, to fatalities and severe injuries, notably Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS).
However, the company has clarified that the withdrawal is not directly linked to ongoing court cases or its admission of TTS side effects. Instead, AstraZeneca attributed the decision to commercial reasons and a decline in demand for the vaccine.
“As multiple variant Covid-19 vaccines have since been developed, there is a surplus of available updated vaccines,” stated AstraZeneca in a released statement.