AstraZeneca Withdraws COVID-19 Vaccine Globally Days After Side Effect Row, Firm Says Decision ‘Commercial’

British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca has withdrawn its COVID-19 vaccine globally days after the firm acknowledged in court documents that it can cause rare side effects, such as blood clots and a low blood platelet count, in humans. The vaccine, developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, was produced by the Serum Institute of India as Covishield.

The company cites the move to "commercial reasons" due to a "surplus of available updated vaccines" for COVID1-19. Calling the decision "purely coincidental", AstraZeneca said the vaccine withdrawal is not linked to its admission that it can cause TTS - Thrombosis Thrombocytopenia Syndrome, reported by the Telegraph.

Also Read | Covishield Vaccine Side Effects: Plea Filed in Supreme Court To Examine Adverse Effects of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 Vaccine.

The company voluntarily withdrew its “marketing authorisation” in the European Union, adding that the vaccine was no longer being produced and could no longer be used. Similar withdrawals will be made across other countries that have been using the vaccine.

AstraZeneca is facing a 100 million pound lawsuit in the UK over claims that the Covid jab caused deaths and injuries to several people. AstraZeneca admitted in one of the court documents in February that Covishield can, "in very rare cases, cause TTS or Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome".