AstraZeneca, a British-Swedish pharmaceutical and biotechnology company, has announced that it is withdrawing its COVID-19 vaccine, Vaxzevria, worldwide.
The multinational pharmaceutical company said the vaccine is being withdrawn because it can no longer compete with updated COVID-19 vaccines, which tackle the new variant of the infectious disease.
AstraZeneca, in a statement, maintained the vaccine was no longer being manufactured or supplied because it was superseded by the newly produced vaccines, according to a report by The New Telegraph on Tuesday.
The company has relinquished its marketing authorisation in the European Union and also intends to do the same in other countries in the coming months.
This means that Vaxzevria is no longer authorised to be marketed or sold in European Union countries and any other country where the vaccine was approved.
The European Medicines Agency announced the withdrawal on its website. The vaccine’s application withdrawal from the EU was made on March 5 and came into effect Tuesday.
“As multiple variant COVID-19 vaccines have since been developed, there is a surplus of available updated vaccines. This has led to a decline in demand for Vaxzevria, which is no longer being manufactured or supplied. AstraZeneca has therefore taken the decision to initiate withdrawal of the marketing authorisations for Vaxzevria within Europe.
“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,” the company was quoted as saying.
Three months ago, the multinational company admitted for the first time in court documents that its vaccine triggers rare and dangerous side effects.
The company confirmed that the vaccine “can, in very rare cases, cause TTS,” an acronym for Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome. (Premium Times)m
