AstraZeneca announced that it had started withdrawing its Covid-19 vaccine from all regions of the world due to the “surplus of available doses” since the start of the pandemic. The company also indicated that it would begin withdrawing marketing licenses for the Vaxzevria vaccine in Europe, according to Reuters.
The company added: “With the development of multiple Covid-19 vaccines since then, there is a surplus of doses available,” noting that this has led to a decline in demand for Vaxzevria, which is no longer manufactured or available.
According to media reports, the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company previously admitted in court documents that the vaccine caused side effects such as blood clots and a drop in blood platelets.
The company filed a request to withdraw the vaccine on March 5, which took effect on Tuesday, according to the Telegraph.
