The British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca has commented on the withdrawal of EU approval for its Corona vaccine due to safety concerns. The company initiated the global withdrawal because of the “oversupply of updated vaccines” since the pandemic, AstraZeneca said on Tuesday.
This has led to a decline in demand for Vaxzevria, which is now no longer manufactured and supplied. The approval of the vaccine in Europe was therefore withdrawn at the company’s request. But they are “incredibly proud of the role Vaxzevria played in ending the global pandemic.”
According to media reports, the drugmaker has admitted in court documents that the vaccine causes side effects such as blood clots and low platelet counts.
The company’s request to withdraw the vaccine from the market was submitted on March 5 and took effect on May 7, the newspaper wrote telegraph, which first reported the development. AstraZeneca made a series of acquisitions in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and anti-obesity drugs last year after growth slowed due to a decline in sales of coronavirus vaccines.
The EU Commission said in a statement that it was not unusual for companies to request the withdrawal of marketing authorization for medicines or vaccines for commercial reasons. It can be confirmed “that the decision is not based on doubts about the safety or effectiveness of the vaccine,” the statement continued.