AstraZeneca pulls Covid vaccine after admitting potentially deadly rare side effect

The Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine is set to be withdrawn after the pharmaceutical giant admitted it can cause a rare and potentially dangerous side effect.

The company has voluntarily withdrawn its "market authorisation" in the European Union, a move which came into force on Tuesday.

According to The Telegraph, similar applications will be made in the coming months in the UK and other countries that have approved the jab.

The vaccine was championed by the-then Prime Minister Boris Johnson as a "triumph for British science", being credited with saving more than six milion lives.

AstraZeneca said the vaccine - which is known as Vaxzevria - was no longer being manufactured or supplied and has since been superseded by updated vaccines that tackle new Covid variants.

The firm said it was therefore a "commercial reason" to withdraw its use.

Vaxzevria has come under fire in recent months over a rare side effect that causes blood clots and low blood platelet counts.

A High Court document in February from AstraZeneca revealed the vaccine "can, in very rare cases, cause TTS".

TTS - Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome - has been linked to at least 81 deaths in the UK, with hundreds of people reporting serious injuries.

More than 50 alleged victims and grieving relatives are suing AstraZeneca in the High Court.

AstraZeneca, The Telegraph says, claims the timing of the High Court case and the decision to withdraw the vaccine is a coincidence, insisting the two are not linked.

In a statement, the company said: “We are incredibly proud of the role Vaxzevria played in ending the global pandemic. According to independent estimates, over 6.5 million lives were saved in the first year of use alone and over three billion doses were supplied globally.

“Our efforts have been recognised by governments around the world and are widely regarded as being a critical component of ending the global pandemic.

“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.”

It is reported the company will withdrawn the authorisation for Vaxzevria in other countries shortly. It never had approval for use in the United States.

The firm added: "We will partner with regulatory authorities globally to initiate marketing authorisation withdrawals for Vaxzevria, where no future commercial demand for the vaccine is expected.”

Around 50 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine were given out in the UK during the pandemic.

However, it was largely replaced with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for the 2021 winter booster scheme.

Marco Cavaleri, head of vaccines at the European Medicines Agency, the body which is responsible for drug and medicine safety within the EU, told Italian media he expected all "monovalent" vaccines - those which only tackled the original Covid-19 strain - will be withdrawn in time.

Lawyers for those suing AstraZeneca claim the vaccine was never as safe as individuals would expect it to be, and that it caused vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia and thrombosis.

AstraZeneca insists “patient safety is our highest priority." reports The Telegraph.

The Government is said to have paid out to people impacted by side effects from the vaccine. Although its response has been branded "inadequate" leading to the lawsuit, which AstraZeneca is contesting.