AstraZeneca, the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company, has announced the withdrawal of its Covid-19 vaccine, Vaxzevria, citing concerns over dangerous side effects.
The decision, disclosed in a statement on Tuesday, 7th May, 2024, comes as a result of a surplus of newer, updated vaccines that have led to a decline in demand for Vaxzevria.
Developed rapidly in response to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, Vaxzevria was initially offered at cost but later sold for profit.
However, public hesitancy grew after rare blood-clotting issues were linked to the vaccine, prompting a shift towards mRNA vaccines like Pfizer-BioNTech’s.
As global Covid-19 restrictions eased and demand waned, AstraZeneca’s sales plummeted.
The company has now initiated the process of removing Vaxzevria from the market in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMA) region and is working with other regulators globally to withdraw market authorizations where no future commercial demand is expected.
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Despite the challenges, AstraZeneca highlighted the significant impact of Vaxzevria, estimating that over 6.5 million lives were saved in its first year of use alone, with more than three billion doses supplied worldwide.
The company expressed pride in the vaccine’s role in combating the global pandemic, stating that its efforts have been widely recognized and regarded as crucial in bringing an end to the crisis.
The statement read, “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.”
