AstraZeneca COVID vaccine: Lawsuit, rare effects, admission

AstraZeneca has acknowledged that its COVID-19 vaccine, Covishield, may cause Thrombosis Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS) in extremely rare instances. TTS is a severe condition characterized by blood clots and low platelet levels. This admission could potentially lead to significant legal settlements for the pharmaceutical company.

Covishield, developed by the British-Swedish firm AstraZeneca in partnership with Oxford University, was introduced in 2021 amid the global urgency to curb the pandemic’s death toll. Despite initial concerns from the scientific community about the rapid development and deployment of the vaccine, it was distributed under the names Covishield and Vaxzevria, among others.

Recently, the discussion regarding the vaccine’s safety has resurfaced due to AstraZeneca facing several lawsuits claiming that the vaccine caused severe injuries or fatalities. In a UK High Court document from February, AstraZeneca conceded that while extremely rare, their vaccine could cause TTS. The document explained that the causal mechanism is unknown and that TTS can also occur without vaccination. The implication of each case would depend on expert testimony.

This legal stance marks a shift from their earlier position in May of the previous year, where they denied a general causation between the vaccine and TTS.

The controversy gained attention with the case of Jamie Scott, a 44-year-old father of two, who suffered a severe reaction ten days post-vaccination, leading to permanent brain damage. He was diagnosed with Vaccine-induced Immune Thrombocytopenia and Thrombosis (VITT). Alongside Scott, there are 51 other cases filed against AstraZeneca, with claims potentially totaling up to £100 million ($125.36 million).

While AstraZeneca disputes that their vaccine is generally defective and overstates its efficacy, they are confronting substantial legal challenges. Common side effects reported by vaccine recipients include pain at the injection site, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, and mild flu-like symptoms, affecting fewer than 1 in 100 people.

Concerns about the vaccine’s side effects led several countries to pause its use starting in March 2021, following incidents of blood clots in some vaccinated individuals. Countries that temporarily halted its use include Austria, Denmark, Norway, and many others across Europe and beyond.