London – Sweden on Tuesday became the last to join a growing list of countries that have stopped using the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine. More than a dozen nations, most of them in Europe, have temporarily suspended the use of the vaccine as a precautionary measure after a small number of people developed blood clots after receiving the vaccine.
But experts in the UK and other parts of Europe are calling this a disaster for the already delayed vaccine implementation on the continent. COVID-19 infections are spreading exponentially again in some parts of Europe, even leading to new national blockages.
British drug regulators and AstraZeneca executives insist there is no link between the vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and a higher incidence of blood clots.
The Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company that teamed up with the prestigious university to produce the drug said that an analysis of 17 million people in the UK and Europe who received the vaccine found that less than 40 developed blood clots – “even lower than that you would expect to find in the general population, “said AstraZeneca.
The incidence of clotting is similar to that seen with all vaccines, CBS News found, including the formulas Moderna and Pfizer currently used in the United States.
Denmark, Iceland and Norway were the first to stop using the vaccine developed by the University of Oxford on March 11. The next day, Thailand brought the vaccine to a sudden halt shortly before its implantation. That decision was reversed on Tuesday, when the Thai Prime Minister received his first dose of the vaccine and urged his fellow Thai to do the same.
Bulgaria, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, France and Spain have also decided to stop using the vaccine, with some saying they would wait at least until the European Medicines Agency – the EU’s pharmaceutical regulator – issues new guidelines on the vaccine it approved weeks ago . The agency’s panel of experts met on Tuesday to review data on clots.
Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Luxembourg have suspended the use of at least one batch of AstraZeneca vaccines distributed in several countries.
“No evidence”
The manufacturer of the drug has said that there is no data to suggest any link between his vaccine and any serious side effects, and several independent health officials have supported this position.
The European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization said last week that there was no evidence that the drug was causing clots.
“An analysis of our safety data from more than 10 million records has shown no evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis in any defined age group, sex, batch or in any particular country,” said a spokesman. AstraZeneca’s voice. “In fact, the observed number of these types of events is significantly lower in those vaccinated than would be expected among the general population.”
European Medicines Agency officials emphasized last week that “there is currently no indication that vaccination causes these conditions” and “the benefits of the vaccine continue to outweigh its risks and the vaccine may continue to be administered”.
On Monday, however, German officials said the pan-EU agency was due to decide by the end of the week “whether and how the new information will affect vaccine authorization.”
Britain’s pharmaceutical regulator issued new support on Monday for the vaccine, which has been widely used for weeks across the UK
Dr Phil Bryan, head of vaccine safety at the UK Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), said people “You must still go and get your COVID-19 vaccine when asked.”
“We are reviewing the reports closely, but given the large number of [AstraZeneca] the doses administered and the frequency with which blood clots can occur naturally, the available evidence does not suggest that the vaccine is the cause, “he said, according to the BBC.
Even countries that stopped using the vaccine in Europe said there was no evidence that the clots were caused by injection of AstraZeneca – only that occurred after administration.
Steve Parsons / Pool / REUTERS
Oxford Vaccine Group chief Andrew Pollard said that real-world data from the UK’s mass vaccination program recently showed a 94% drop in hospital admissions for those who received the Oxford vaccine – figures even more impressive than with the Pfizer formula.
“We have not had any hospitalizations or deaths [from COVID] in those individuals who were vaccinated with the vaccine, “said Pollard.” Therefore, real-world evidence confirms in real life what we saw in clinical trials – it far exceeded trial expectations. “
US approval and public relations issues
The United States has stored tens of millions of doses of the vaccine, but AstraZeneca has not yet applied to the Food and Drug Administration for authorization for emergency medical use, pending the results of clinical trials in the USA. An executive with the company told CBSN on March 5 that AstraZeneca hoped to apply for this authorization “in the coming weeks”.
Last year, the Trump administration pledged nearly $ 1.2 billion to AstraZeneca to help develop the vaccine at Oxford University in exchange for 300 million doses.
Easier and cheaper to manufacture and distribute than other vaccines already approved in the United States, the Oxford vaccine has long been considered the favorite candidate for inoculation programs not only in America, but worldwide.
More than 70 countries around the world used it until last week.
The recent security scares are just the latest in a series of advertising setbacks for the vaccine.
With trial data showing an efficacy short of the Pfizer-BioNtech and Moderna vaccines, some people in Germany and other countries were reluctant to have a “second-class” injection. The government has also stopped approving its use for people over 65, citing the lack of data from specific trials, but that decision has been reversed and German authorities are among those who criticized the suspension of vaccination programs in other European countries. week.
South Africa also temporarily suspended the vaccine after a small clinical trial found that it failed to sufficiently protect against infection with the COVID-19 variant that spread across the country.