In wake of the concerns surrounding potential rare side effects of the AstraZeneca-Oxford Covid-19 vaccine.
The UK-headquartered pharmaceutical giant has reaffirmed its commitment to the safety of patients. “Our sympathy goes out to anyone who has lost loved ones or reported health problems. Patient safety is our highest priority, and regulatory authorities have clear and stringent standards to ensure the safe use of all medicines, including vaccines,” news agency ANI quoted a spokesperson of AstraZeneca as saying.
The development comes as AstraZeneca admitted that in “very rare cases”, its Covid-19 vaccine can cause a blood clot-related side-effect but the causal link is unknown, according to court papers being quoted in the UK media.
The Daily Telegraph reported that in a legal document submitted to the High Court in London in February for a group action brought by 51 claimants, AstraZeneca admitted that the vaccine developed with the University of Oxford to protect against Covid-19 may cause Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS) in “very rare cases”.
The AstraZeneca Vaxzevria vaccine, also manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, was marketed in India as Covishield.
Notably in 2023, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said in its report that TTS emerged as a new adverse event following immunisation in individuals vaccinated with Covid-19 non-replicant adenovirus vector-based vaccines.
“TTS is a serious and life-threatening adverse event. WHO has issued this interim emergency guidance to increase awareness about TTS in the context of Covid-19 vaccination and help healthcare providers in the assessment and management of potential TTS cases,” the 2023 statement by WHO read.