AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine discontinued in Europe from today

Europe is bidding farewell to AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine. The Swedish-British laboratory requested the withdrawal of its vaccine from the market in March, and the European Commission has therefore proceeded to withdraw the marketing authorisation for its injection in the European Union (EU), a decision that will be effective from today (Tuesday, 7 May). The manufacturing company explained that due to the "multiple updated vaccines" that have been developed to deal with Covid-19, "there is a surplus of available doses", which has reduced the demand for Vaxzervria "which is no longer being manufactured or supplied".

The manufacturer has highlighted the role its laboratory played in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. "According to independent estimates, in the first year of use alone, more than 3 billion doses were delivered worldwide and more than 6.5 million lives were saved," it said. Its withdrawal from the EU, however, comes just a week after the drugmaker admitted in official documents that its vaccine could cause rare adverse effects such as thrombosis, leading to restrictions on its use among certain segments of the population.

Millions in lawsuits

Between June and August 2020, amid government efforts to end the global pandemic, the laboratory closed deals to supply hundreds of millions of vials to the EU and the US. A year later, countries such as Austria and Spain suspended vaccination because of a possible link between the dose and thrombosis episodes, and in April the EU decided not to renew contracts to buy the vaccine.

For several months now, the manufacturer has been the subject of class action lawsuits accusing it of causing serious injury and death to dozens of people. In the case before the High Court in England, 51 victims and their families are demanding 116.7 million euros in damages from the company.

AstraZeneca has not linked the end of the vaccine's manufacturing and marketing to the ongoing court trials and in its statement said it was "incredibly proud of the role Vaxzevria played in ending the global pandemic".