AstraZeneca has announced it is withdrawing its COVID-19 vaccine worldwide due to the “surplus availability of updated vaccines” that are made to work better against new variants of the virus. This announcement followed AstraZeneca’s withdrawal of marketing authorization for the drug in the EU in March. The European Medicines Agency has announced that the AstraZeneca vaccine is no longer approved for use.
– We decided that way because now there are a number of new vaccines available that are adapted to new variants of the virus. This led to a drop in demand for our vaccine, which is no longer manufactured or supplied – announced AstraZeneca, reports the Guardian.
– According to independent estimates, more than 6.5 million lives were saved only in the first year of using our vaccine, and more than three billion doses were delivered. Our efforts have been recognized by governments around the world and we are considered to have been a key component in ending the pandemic. We will now work with regulators and our partners to align on a clear path forward to close this chapter and make a significant contribution to the fight against the pandemic – the pharmaceutical company announced.