European Commission suspends marketing of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine

The European Commission reported that it decided to withdraw the marketing authorization for AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine. The decision came after the company submitted a request on March 5. The commission explained that the withdrawal will go into effect starting this Tuesday.

"At the request of the holder, the marketing authorization of the medicine 'Vaxzevria - COVID-19 Vaccine (ChAdOx1-S) is withdrawn', which was granted by Decision C(2021) 698(final) of January 29, 2021," the European Commission wrote in a resolution.

AstraZeneca by Williams Perdomo

The measure follows AstraZeneca's acknowledgment, made for the first time in a United Kingdom court, that the vaccine can lead to a fatal side effect related to blood clotting.

The Cambridge-based pharmaceutical company admitted in a legal document filed with the UK High Court that its vaccine "may, in very rare cases, cause TTS" (thrombocytopenia thrombosis syndrome).

TTS is an extremely rare medical condition characterized by the occurrence of blood clots alongside a low count of platelet count, which is crucial for blood clotting. This complication was previously referred to as vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT).

Meanwhile, in the withdrawal request, AstraZeneca explained "Multiple updated vaccines have been developed for COVID-19 variants, there is now a surplus of vaccines available. This has led to a decline in demand for Vaxzervria, which is no longer manufactured or supplied.”

"We will now work with regulators and our partners to align on a clear path forward to conclude this chapter and our significant contribution to the COVID-19 pandemic," said an official statement from AstraZeneca in Spain reviewed by El Mundo.