After triggering concerns following acknowledgement that its Covid vaccine Covishield can lead to rare side effects, UK-headquartered pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca issued a statement on Tuesday reiterated its "commitment to patient safety."
AstraZeneca admitted in court documents that its Covid vaccine - Covishield - can cause rare side effects, and in some cases, a condition that leads to blood clots and low platelet count.
Covishield, developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University during the pandemic, was produced by the Serum Institute of India (SII) and was administered in the country as part of the inoculation drive against Covid-19.
AstraZeneca made the admission in the action lawsuit it is in the United Kingdom over claims that its vaccine caused deaths and severe injuries in several cases. Victims in as many as 51 cases in the UK High Court are seeking damages up to 100 million pounds.
Jamie Scott, the first complainant in the case, made allegations that he was administered the vaccine in April 2021, which he said led to a permanent brain injury after a blood clot, according to a report in The Telegraph. This has prevented him from working and the hospital even told his wife thrice that he's going to die, he claimed.
Amid concerns over potential side effects, the company on Tuesdsy said in a statement: "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."
Lawyers acting on behalf of the claimants say they, or their loved ones, who received the AZ vaccine suffered TTS – a rare syndrome characterised by the concurrence of thrombosis or blood clotting and thrombocytopenia or insufficiency of platelets.
The consequences of TTS are potentially life-threatening including strokes, brain damage, heart attacks, pulmonary embolism and amputation. Of the 51 claimants in the group action being represented by the law firm Leigh Day for damages under Section 2 of the UK’s Consumer Protection Act 1987 against AstraZeneca UK Ltd in respect of injuries sustained as a result of the vaccine, 12 are acting on behalf of a loved one who died.
