Ceased production, supplied extra dosages of Covishield, and revealed all adverse effects: Serum Institute
As the multinational pharmaceutical behemoth AstraZeneca of Sweden and Britain withdrew its Covid-19 vaccine, the Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) announced on Wednesday that it will no longer be producing or supplying more Covishield doses beyond December 2021.
The “marketing authorization” for AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccination, which is marketed as Vaxzevria in Europe and Covishield in India, has been voluntarily revoked.
A SII official told IANS in a statement that the demand for earlier vaccines dropped dramatically as a result of new mutant variant strains emerging and India reaching high immunization rates in 2021 and 2022.
“Consequently, since December 2021, we have stopped the manufacturing and supply of additional doses of Covishield,” said a spokesman.
According to the Serum Institute, “it’s crucial to emphasise our commitment to transparency and safety,” and they “fully understand the ongoing concerns.”
“We have disclosed all rare to very rare side effects, including thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, in the packaging insert in 2021,” the business said right away.
An unusual side effect known as thrombotic thrombocytopenic syndrome (TTS) has been connected to at least 81 fatalities and hundreds of severe injuries in the UK. It may induce blood clots and low blood platelet counts in patients.
The SII emphasized that vaccination safety is still the top priority, even in light of the difficulties encountered during the worldwide epidemic.
“Vaxzervria from AstraZeneca and Covishield from us—both vaccinations have played a major role in saving millions of lives throughout the globe.
“We commend the collaborative efforts of governments and ministries in facilitating a unified global response to the pandemic,” said the Serum Institute.
More than fifty claimed victims and their bereaved families are suing the British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical company in a UK High Court action.
