“AstraZeneca Initiates Global Withdrawal of COVID-19 Vaccine Due to Surplus of Updated Vaccines”
The decision to withdraw the marketing authorizations for Vaxzevria comes as AstraZeneca acknowledges a reduced demand for the vaccine amidst the availability of multiple updated COVID-19 vaccines. The company stated that the surplus of alternatives has led to a decline in interest in Vaxzevria, which is no longer being manufactured or supplied.
Reports indicate that AstraZeneca has previously acknowledged in court documents that the vaccine can cause side effects such as blood clots and low blood platelet counts.
The application for withdrawal was submitted on March 5 and became effective on May 7, as reported by The Telegraph, which broke the news.
Facing a slowdown in growth due to declining sales of COVID-19 medicines, London-listed AstraZeneca diversified its focus last year, venturing into respiratory syncytial virus vaccines and obesity drugs through various deals.
