AstraZeneca's Vaxzevria COVID-19 Vaccine Discontinued

AstraZeneca has announced a strategic decision to withdraw its COVID-19 vaccine, Vaxzevria, from global markets in the upcoming months, citing commercial reasons. This move comes in response to shifting vaccine preferences and follows the company's admission in court documents earlier this year about a rare but serious side effect associated with the vaccine.

Developed in collaboration with the University of Oxford, Vaxzevria initially gained widespread use. However, the demand for the vaccine has significantly decreased as newer, updated bivalent boosters from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna, targeting recent coronavirus variants, have taken precedence. AstraZeneca explained that the abundance of these newer vaccines has made Vaxzevria commercially redundant. "As multiple, variant COVID-19 vaccines have since been developed, there is a surplus of available updated vaccines," a company spokesperson noted. Consequently, Vaxzevria is no longer being produced or supplied, with no future commercial demand anticipated. The spokesperson also indicated that over 3 billion doses of Vaxzevria have been globally distributed.

In March, AstraZeneca submitted an application to withdraw Vaxzevria's marketing authorization from the European Union, which became effective on May 7. Similar applications are expected soon in the UK and other countries where the vaccine had been approved. This does not include the United States, where AstraZeneca never applied for emergency-use authorization due to delays.

Vaxzevria has also faced scrutiny over a rare side effect, thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), which involves blood clots and low blood platelet counts. In February, AstraZeneca, for the first time, acknowledged in court documents filed with the High Court in London that the vaccine "can, in very rare cases," cause TTS. This acknowledgment has opened the door for potential legal challenges. According to The Telegraph, this admission could lead to a "multi-million-pound legal payout," with TTS linked to at least 81 deaths and numerous serious injuries in the UK. AstraZeneca is currently facing lawsuits from 51 individuals and families in the High Court, seeking damages of up to £100 million (approximately $125 million).