New Delhi, May 8 (IANS) The risk-benefit of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine is currently against further use, said experts on Wednesday amid a report of a global recall of the jab by the British-Swedish pharma giant.
The recall of its Covid-19 vaccine, made in collaboration with Oxford University, worldwide, comes after the drugmaker in February admitted in the UK court about its potential side effect — Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Syndrome (TTS), a rare blood clot disorder.
The Telegraph reported AstraZeneca voluntarily withdrew “marketing authorisation” of its Covid vaccine, sold as Covishield in India and Vaxzevria in Europe.
While it can now no longer be used in the European Union, the company said it will initiate withdrawals from the global market.
“It is no longer a useful vaccine. The virus has changed. The risk-benefit currently is against further use,” Anurag Agrawal, Dean, Trivedi School of Biosciences, at Ashoka University, told IANS.
“In India, with severe Covid becoming less common presently, possibly due to a combination of hybrid and herd immunity, a decision to vaccinate with the AstraZeneca vaccine should be made after discussing the likely risks and benefits. This is especially true for younger and low-risk individuals,” added Lancelot Pinto, Consultant Pulmonologist and Epidemiologist, P. D. Hinduja Hospital and MRC, Mumbai.
The company, credited for saving more than six million lives during the recent Covid-19 pandemic, “accepted, in a legal document submitted to the High Court in February, that its Covid vaccine ‘can, in very rare cases, cause TTS’,” the report said.
TTS is a rare side effect that can cause people to have blood clots and a low blood platelet count and has been linked to at least 81 deaths in the UK as well as hundreds of serious injuries.
Lancelot told IANS that TTS occurs “possibly due to the adenovirus vector”.
“A systematic review including studies conducted till August 2021 found 167 reported cases worldwide. The incidence is believed to be 2 per 100,000 people vaccinated with AstraZeneca aged 60 years or older, 2-3 per 100,000 people vaccinated with AstraZeneca aged under 60 years” he added.
Importantly, the doctor noted that “the side effects typically appear within 6 weeks post-vaccination, and are more common after the first dose”.
As per modelling estimates, Covid vaccination saved between 14.4-19.8 million deaths in the first year, reducing deaths by 63 per cent.
Meanwhile, AstraZeneca in a statement said that the vaccine recall is due to “commercial reasons”. It said that with multiple Covid variants and related vaccines, “there is a surplus of available updated vaccines”.
–IANS
rvt/svn
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by TodayIndia.news and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of TodayIndia.news We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, TodayIndia.news takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
