AstraZeneca has recently announced the withdrawal of its Covid-19 vaccine. This vaccine has been used widely worldwide, with over three billion doses administered so far.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced on Wednesday the withdrawal of approval for AstraZeneca's Vaxzevria vaccine. The decision was made "at the request of the marketing authorization holder," according to the regulator.
Once hailed as a game-changer in the fight against the pandemic with an efficacy of 72 percent, the vaccine is being taken off the market due to what AstraZeneca describes as a "surplus of available updated vaccines" amid the rise of new coronavirus variants.
The company stated that this surplus has led to declining demand for its vaccine, which is no longer being manufactured or supplied.
Speaking with BBC, Prof Adam Finn from the University of Bristol, notes that the withdrawal of the vaccine reflects its diminishing usefulness in combating the evolving variants of the virus. He emphasized that the original vaccines have become less relevant, and only the reformulated vaccines are likely to be in use now.
AstraZeneca's decision comes amid alarming reports of rare side effects associated with the vaccine, including blood clots and low blood platelet counts.
The company has acknowledged these side effects in court documents, contributing to a dent in the vaccine's reputation and leading some countries, like the UK, to turn to alternative vaccines.
This picture shows vials of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine and a syringe in Paris on March 11, 2021. - European countries can keep using AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine during an investigation into cases of blood clots that prompted Denmark, Norway and Iceland to suspend jabs, the EU's drug regulator said on March 11, 2021. Photo by JOEL SAGET/AFP via Getty Images
AstraZeneca Vaccine Saved Millions of Lives
Despite this, AstraZeneca remains proud of the vaccine's impact. The company stated that it was "incredibly proud" of the vaccine, which was estimated to have saved millions of lives during the pandemic's early stages. Independent estimates suggest that over 6.5 million lives were saved in the first year of the vaccine's use alone.
The vaccine's development process was unprecedented, taking about ten months instead of the usual ten years. In 2020, it was praised by many experts as highly effective, also highlighting its affordability and ease of storage. The UK initially relied on AstraZeneca vaccination as a strategy to lift lockdowns.
However, as the pandemic progressed and new variants emerged, demand shifted towards newer, updated vaccines that more closely match the mutated forms of COVID-19. AstraZeneca's withdrawal reflects this changing landscape of vaccine demand and effectiveness.
In addition to withdrawing the vaccine globally, AstraZeneca will withdraw its marketing authorizations within Europe. This decision aligns with the company's strategic focus on other areas of medical research and development.
Last year, AstraZeneca began diversifying into respiratory syncytial virus vaccines and obesity drugs, indicating a broader shift in the pharmaceutical industry.
