AstraZeneca Withdraws Covishield, Admits It May Cause Rare Disorder: Report

AstraZeneca has reportedly withdrawn its COVID-19 vaccine worldwide, citing a 'surplus in available updated vaccines in the market.' This comes weeks after the pharmaceutical giant admitted in court documents that their Covishield and Vaxzevria vaccines can, in rare cases, cause a condition called Thrombosis Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS). The revelation came in after cases of death from TTS were reported and a lawsuit was filed against AstraZeneca. In a legal document submitted to a High Court in London, AstraZeneca admitted that Covishield can cause TTS in some rare instances. 

What Is TTS?

Thrombosis Thrombocytopenia syndrome or TTS, also known as Vaccine-inducted Immune Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia (VITT), is a condition that weakens blood vessels through the formation of blood clots (thrombosis) and low levels of platelets (thrombocytopenia).

The clotting of blood can occur in uncommon areas, such as the brain, in the case of tier 1 TTS, which increases the risk of morbidity. According to the Melbourne Vaccine Education Centre, the risk of the condition developing in people who were administered the Vaxzervia vaccine is present in 2.6 out of every 1,00,000 people.

The symptoms of the condition include severe headaches, abdominal pain, back pain, nausea or bleeding. These symptoms would be observable within 4 to 42 days of the administration of the vaccine. 

Why Is Covishield Being Withdrawn? 

The Telegraph UK reported that manufacture and supply of the Covishield vaccine is being withdrawn. The vaccine can no longer be administered in the European Union after the company voluntarily withdrew its “marketing authorisation." The application to withdraw the vaccine was made in March 2024 and came into force on May 7.

While AstraZeneca recently admitted that the Covishield vaccine may cause TTS, the pharma firm called the withdrawal purely coincidental and cited a "surplus of available updated vaccines" as the reason. "This has led to a decline in demand for Vaxzevria, which is no longer being manufactured or supplied," they said in a statement. 

Recently, a lawsuit was posed against AstraZeneca by a UK citizen and father named Jamie Scott in 2023. Scott was administered the vaccine in 2021 and faced severe blood clots in his brain, which left his brain impaired and unable to work. His wife, in a statement, said that the medical world was well aware of the existence of TTS, more specifically, Vaccine-induced TTS.

AstraZeneca had initially contested her statement but has now admitted that in rare cases, their vaccines do cause TTS. Scott's wife is now seeking an apology and compensation from the company for the damage the condition has done to her husband and her family. As per a Telegraph report, over 51 cases have been filed so far in the UK against AstraZeneca. The company recently released a statement sympathising with the victims. 

Covishield was widely administered in India and was credited with mitigating the spread of the Covid-19 virus. After reports of AstraZeneca admitting the rare side-effects, advocate Vishal Tiwari has moved the Supreme Court seeking the constitution of a Medical Expert Panel to examine side-effects and risk factors of the said vaccine as well as compensation of those who were severely disabled or died due to the vaccination drive.