AstraZeneca withdraws Covid-19 vaccine

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AstraZeneca has decided to stop producing its Covid-19 vaccine in the UK as the demand for the vaccine decreased due to the arrival of newer variants. This decision comes less than four years after the launch of the vaccine in the country. The company has reported an excess of the vaccine which was designed to fight the earlier versions of the coronavirus.

AstraZeneca announced on Wednesday that they are no longer producing or delivering Vaxzevria due to an excess supply of newly updated vaccines. They expressed pride in the contribution Vaxzevria made in fighting the global pandemic.

The choice marks the conclusion of the vaccine's journey which was produced with the assistance of researchers from Oxford university shortly after the start of the epidemic. This vaccine was permitted in the UK towards the end of 2020 and has provided more than 3 billion doses following its introduction.

AstraZeneca chose a different approach from competitors Pfizer and BioNTech as well as Moderna, by initially offering its vaccine on a non-profit basis. In accordance with its agreement with Oxford, the vaccine was sold "at cost", and it was instrumental in bringing the pandemic to a conclusion. Nevertheless, there were sporadic reports of blood clotting incidents during its distribution, and tensions with the European Union developed as they sought access to the medicine.

AstraZeneca mentioned that around 6.5 million individuals were rescued in the first year of utilizing their vaccine based on independent evaluations. Nonetheless, it is significant to note that many Covid-19 vaccines were introduced afterward, which affected the sales of AstraZeneca's product.

The pharmaceutical company asked for the European Union marketing authorisation of Vaxzevria to be taken away in March. The announcement was made on Tuesday that the request was granted.

The AstraZeneca vaccine has been replaced by BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. These two vaccines were created using mRNA technology and are now the most commonly used vaccines across the globe.

The complete yearly report of AstraZeneca indicated that their vaccine only generated $12 million in revenue in 2023, which is a significant drop compared to the roughly $4 billion they made in 2021. The company signed its inaugural profitable contracts towards the end of 2021 as they noticed that the pandemic had transitioned to an "endemic phase."

The vaccine got the green light in the UK on December of 2020, and in the EU on January of 2021. However, it didn't receive approval in the US. American authorities slammed the company for how it has presented the data regarding the effectiveness of the vaccine.

Generally, the vaccine was both secure and efficient. Nevertheless, in 2021 the population's trust in the vaccine decreased when a few cases of rare blood clotting incidents arose. Consequently, European authorities restricted its application to younger groups.

The business is involved in a legal dispute with Jamie Scott, who alleges that he experienced a major blood clot after receiving the vaccine. If the company is found responsible, any compensation will be provided through a UK government program for vaccine-related injuries. The company has stated that the removal of the vaccine was not caused by the isolated blood clotting cases.

AstraZeneca has announced that they will collaborate with regulators and partners to establish a definite course of action in order to bring this chapter to an end and make a significant contribution to the fight against Covid-19.