LONDON (dpa-AFX) - AstraZeneca, a major provider of Covid-19 vaccines across
the world mainly during the initial pandemic period, has initiated a process to
withdraw its Vaxzevria COVID-19 vaccine worldwide, citing weak demand and the
surplus availability of new vaccines.

Meanwhile, AstraZeneca reportedly had admitted recently in court documents that
the vaccine could cause side-effects such as blood clots and low blood platelet
counts.

The latest move follows a notice by the European Medicines Agency that the
vaccine is no longer authorised for use. Vaxzevria, a vaccine for preventing
coronavirus disease 2019 in people aged 18 years and older, had received a
conditional marketing authorisation in Europe on January 29, 2021.

According to the Anglo-Swedish drug maker, multiple, variant COVID-19 vaccines
have been developed since the pandemic and there is a surplus of available
updated vaccines, which led to a decline in demand for Vaxzevria, which is no
longer being manufactured or supplied.

AstraZeneca had developed the vaccine in collaboration with The University of
Oxford after the coronavirus outbreak in 2020. The vaccine was manufactured and
supplied in India and other low to middle income countries under the name
Covishield by Serum Institute of India through a licence from the company and
the university.

The company is facing lawsuits over claims that its Covid-19 vaccine, developed
with the University of Oxford, caused death and serious injury, including
Thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome or TTS.

AstraZeneca now said it will work with regulators and partners to align on a
clear path forward.

In related developments, World Health Organization had in March launched a new
network for coronaviruses, named CoViNet. It aims to facilitate and coordinate
global expertise and capacities for early and accurate detection, monitoring and
assessment of SARS-CoV-2, MERS-CoV and new strains of coronavirus.

In mid-April, there was a report that scientists at the University of Cambridge,
the University of Oxford, and Caltech in the U.S. are developing a novel
approach called 'proactive vaccinology' to fight viruses which have not yet
emerged, in a move to protect the humankind against the next coronavirus
pandemic.



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