AstraZeneca acknowledges rare blood clot risk with Covid-19 vaccine

AstraZeneca is currently facing a class action lawsuit over its Covid-19 vaccine, which has been linked to rare cases of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS). This condition leads to blood clots and low platelet counts. According to legal documents filed in the UK High Court in February, AstraZeneca has acknowledged that the vaccine can cause TTS in very rare instances, although the exact causal mechanism remains unknown.

The lawsuit, involving 51 cases filed by victims and their families, seeks compensation amounting to approximately GBP 100 million. The vaccine, marketed under the names Covishield and Vaxzevria, has been previously associated with risks of blood clots. In April 2021, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) reported that the vaccine was linked to blood clots in the brain, abdomen, and arteries, as well as thrombocytopenia. Despite these risks, both the EMA and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) maintained that the benefits of the vaccine outweighed the potential risks, encouraging the public to continue getting vaccinated.

By November 2021, AstraZeneca announced that it had distributed two billion doses of its vaccine worldwide within a year of its initial approval. The company also saw its first profits from the Covid-19 vaccine in 2022, delivering around 102 million doses through the COVAX initiative in the fourth quarter of that year.

The legal battles began in earnest in 2023, with the first case being filed by a patient who claimed that the vaccine had caused a permanent brain injury due to a blood clot and brain bleed. This followed multiple reports of severe side effects, including death. The most recent case involves a 28-year-old patient whose death was attributed to cerebral venous sinus thrombosis and vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia, as stated in a 29 April coroner’s report from the UK Courts and Tribunals Judiciary.

AstraZeneca's challenges are not limited to the Covid-19 vaccine. In October 2023, the company agreed to pay $425 million to settle lawsuits alleging that its heartburn medications, Nexium and Prilosec, caused chronic kidney disease.

The class action lawsuit related to the Covid-19 vaccine underscores the ongoing scrutiny and legal challenges faced by pharmaceutical companies amidst the global vaccination efforts. Despite the rare but severe side effects, the emphasis has remained on the overall benefits of vaccination in combating the Covid-19 pandemic. As the legal proceedings continue, the outcomes may potentially influence public perception and regulatory policies surrounding vaccine safety and pharmaceutical accountability.