AstraZeneca withdraws COVID-19 vaccine citing low demand

BETWEEN SIXTH AND 12TH GRADE. SO TONIGHT A LOOK AT THE NEXT BOOSTER SHOT FOR COVID 19. THERE ARE NEW REPORTS THE CDC COULD RECOMMEND ANOTHER ONE THIS SPRING. IT IS FRIDAY. AND WE ALWAYS TALK TO DOCTOR SIMONE WILDES, AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST AT SOUTH SHORE HEALTH. AND WE ALWAYS APPRECIATE YOU, DOCTOR. DOCTOR WILDES HAPPY FRIDAY. SO AS YOU KNOW, A GROUP OF OUTSIDE VACCINE EXPERTS FOR THE CDC WILL MEET IN TWO WEEKS TO AND I’M QUOTING HERE, DISCUSS THE NEXT STEPS FOR THE COVID 19 VACCINE PROGRAM. SO WHAT YOU’RE YOU’RE AN EXPERT. YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT. YOU’VE BEEN RIGHT ON THE FRONT LINE FROM THE BEGINNING. WHAT WOULD YOU ENCOURAGE THEM TO CONSIDER? SO ED, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WOULD REALLY WANT THEM TO FOCUS ON IS ONE EFFICACY. HOW WELL DOES THE BOOSTER WORK? I’D ALSO WANT THEM TO FOCUS ON SAFETY, THE SAFETY PROFILE. IS THERE ANY ADVERSE EVENTS THAT WE NEED TO WORRY ABOUT? I’D ALSO WANT THEM TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT HOW WELL THE BOOSTER IS WORKING IN THE VULNERABLE POPULATION. AND ALSO I’D LIKE THEM TO LOOK AT THE ACCESS TO THE BOOSTER, ESPECIALLY IN THE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE UNDERSERVED. SO THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT I’D LIKE THEM TO HAVE FOR DISCUSSION. RIGHT. LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS SPRING BOOSTER SHOT. DO YOU THINK WE NEED IT? DO YOU THINK WE DON’T NEED IT? WELL, I WILL SAY, YOU KNOW, MARIA FOR SURE. WE DO NEED THE BOOSTER BECAUSE GUESS WHAT? COVID IS STILL WITH US. IT HAS NOT LEFT US. I WILL SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW WITH TIME THAT THE THERE’S A WANING WITH THE VACCINE. SO WE NEED TO BE FOCUSED ON THE POPULATION WHERE PATIENTS SUCH AS THE VULNERABLE POPULATION WILL NEED THE VACCINE. THOSE OVER 65, THOSE THAT ARE IMMUNOCOMPROMISED. SO I THINK WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE THAT AVAILABLE FOR THEM. THAT’S A GOOD REMINDER. DOCTOR WILDES OKAY. NOW BOOSTER RATES IN THE UNITED STATES, THOUGH, AS YOU KNOW, ARE LOW OVERALL. AND EVEN HERE IN MASSACHUSETTS, ONLY 20.5% GOT THE SHOT LAST YEAR. ARE YOU WORRIED THAT EVEN FEWER COULD GET THE NEXT ONE? WHETHER IT’S OFFERED THIS SPRING OR LATER? YOU KNOW, PEOPLE MIGHT JUST BE JUST FATIGUED BY THE BOOSTER SHOTS. YOU KNOW? WELL, YOU KNOW, AND I MUST SAY, AS A HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL, I’M VERY DISAPPOINTED ABOUT THE LOW RATES OF THE BOOSTER. EVERY TIME ONE COMES OUT. AND LET’S BE CLEAR, I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS FATIGUE, BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE’S A CERTAIN GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS THAT REALLY NEED THE VACCINES, THE VULNERABLE. AND ALSO THERE ARE OTHERS WHO WOULD LIKE TO GET THE VACCINE. SO I THINK WE’LL HAVE TO JUST MAKE SURE THE MESSAGING IS CLEAR HOW WE PRESENT THIS TO THE PUBLIC. ALL RIGHT. DOCTOR WILDES, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING WI

AstraZeneca is withdrawing its highly successful coronavirus vaccine, citing the availability of a plethora of new shots that has led to a decline in demand.Video above: Factors to be considered as CDC experts look at next steps for COVID vaccinesThe vaccine — called Vaxzevria and developed in partnership with the University of Oxford — has been one of the main COVID-19 vaccines worldwide, with more than 3 billion doses supplied since the first was administered in the United Kingdom on Jan. 4, 2021.But the vaccine has not generated revenue for AstraZeneca since April 2023, the company said.“As multiple, variant COVID-19 vaccines have … been developed, there is a surplus of available updated vaccines. This has led to a decline in demand for Vaxzevria, which is no longer being manufactured or supplied,” it said in a statement shared with CNN Wednesday.“AstraZeneca has therefore taken the decision to initiate withdrawal of the marketing authorizations for Vaxzevria within Europe,” it added.In a notice on its website, the European Medicines Agency also announced the withdrawal, which means that Vaxzevria is no longer authorized to be marketed or sold in European Union countries.AstraZeneca said it would work with regulators in other countries to “align on a clear path forward,” including withdrawing marketing authorizations for the vaccine where no future commercial demand is expected.“We are incredibly proud of the role Vaxzevria played… Our efforts have been recognized by governments around the world and are widely regarded as being a critical component of ending the global pandemic,” AstraZeneca said.Dr Michael Head, a senior research fellow in global health at the University of Southampton in England, said the likely key reason for the withdrawal was the fact that other COVID vaccines, including the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, were “essentially better products.”“AstraZeneca is very good, but the mRNA products… are better,” he said. “They have higher effectiveness and the mRNA platforms are more easily adapted towards the latest COVID variants. Thus, they form a key part of most countries’ longer-term strategies.”Rocky road to pandemic successThe U.K.-based pharmaceutical firm, known for its popular cancer drugs, entered the COVID-19 crisis with little experience developing vaccines. And the success of Vaxzevria was far from guaranteed.Soon after the rollout began, the company came under fire from policymakers and health officials in Europe and the United States for various missteps, including mistakes during clinical trials and omitting crucial information from public statements. Production delays also strained relations with EU leaders.In April 2021, information on the vaccine was updated by medicines regulators in the EU and the United Kingdom to include a mention of a dangerous blood clotting condition as a possible, though rare, side-effect. U.K. regulators said at the time that healthy adults under 30 should be offered other vaccines as, for them, the risks of Vaxzevria were greater than the risks of severe illness from COVID-19.AstraZeneca overcame these setbacks, selling almost $4 billion worth of Vaxzevria worldwide in 2021, according to its earnings statements. The company initially sold the vaccine at cost but said in late 2021 that it expected to start seeing “modest” profits from the vaccine (AstraZeneca does not report product-specific profit figures). Last year, Vaxzevria sales totaled just $12 million.The company is facing a class action lawsuit in the U.K. brought by law firm Leigh Day on behalf of 51 claimants due to injuries allegedly caused by Vaxzevria. Twelve of the claimants are acting on behalf of a loved one who died following a complication allegedly caused by the vaccine, related to the blood clotting issue.Asked about the court case, an AstraZeneca spokesperson said: “Our sympathy goes out to anyone who has lost loved ones or reported health problems… From the body of evidence in clinical trials and real-world data, the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine has continuously been shown to have an acceptable safety profile, and regulators around the world consistently state that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks of extremely rare potential side-effects.”

LONDON —

AstraZeneca is withdrawing its highly successful coronavirus vaccine, citing the availability of a plethora of new shots that has led to a decline in demand.

Video above: Factors to be considered as CDC experts look at next steps for COVID vaccines

The vaccine — called Vaxzevria and developed in partnership with the University of Oxford — has been one of the main COVID-19 vaccines worldwide, with more than 3 billion doses supplied since the first was administered in the United Kingdom on Jan. 4, 2021.

But the vaccine has not generated revenue for AstraZeneca since April 2023, the company said.

“As multiple, variant COVID-19 vaccines have … been developed, there is a surplus of available updated vaccines. This has led to a decline in demand for Vaxzevria, which is no longer being manufactured or supplied,” it said in a statement shared with CNN Wednesday.

“AstraZeneca has therefore taken the decision to initiate withdrawal of the marketing authorizations for Vaxzevria within Europe,” it added.

In a notice on its website, the European Medicines Agency also announced the withdrawal, which means that Vaxzevria is no longer authorized to be marketed or sold in European Union countries.

AstraZeneca said it would work with regulators in other countries to “align on a clear path forward,” including withdrawing marketing authorizations for the vaccine where no future commercial demand is expected.

“We are incredibly proud of the role Vaxzevria played… Our efforts have been recognized by governments around the world and are widely regarded as being a critical component of ending the global pandemic,” AstraZeneca said.

Dr Michael Head, a senior research fellow in global health at the University of Southampton in England, said the likely key reason for the withdrawal was the fact that other COVID vaccines, including the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, were “essentially better products.”

“AstraZeneca is very good, but the mRNA products… are better,” he said. “They have higher effectiveness and the mRNA platforms are more easily adapted towards the latest COVID variants. Thus, they form a key part of most countries’ longer-term strategies.”

Rocky road to pandemic success

The U.K.-based pharmaceutical firm, known for its popular cancer drugs, entered the COVID-19 crisis with little experience developing vaccines. And the success of Vaxzevria was far from guaranteed.

Soon after the rollout began, the company came under fire from policymakers and health officials in Europe and the United States for various missteps, including mistakes during clinical trials and omitting crucial information from public statements. Production delays also strained relations with EU leaders.

In April 2021, information on the vaccine was updated by medicines regulators in the EU and the United Kingdom to include a mention of a dangerous blood clotting condition as a possible, though rare, side-effect. U.K. regulators said at the time that healthy adults under 30 should be offered other vaccines as, for them, the risks of Vaxzevria were greater than the risks of severe illness from COVID-19.

AstraZeneca overcame these setbacks, selling almost $4 billion worth of Vaxzevria worldwide in 2021, according to its earnings statements. The company initially sold the vaccine at cost but said in late 2021 that it expected to start seeing “modest” profits from the vaccine (AstraZeneca does not report product-specific profit figures). Last year, Vaxzevria sales totaled just $12 million.

The company is facing a class action lawsuit in the U.K. brought by law firm Leigh Day on behalf of 51 claimants due to injuries allegedly caused by Vaxzevria. Twelve of the claimants are acting on behalf of a loved one who died following a complication allegedly caused by the vaccine, related to the blood clotting issue.

Asked about the court case, an AstraZeneca spokesperson said: “Our sympathy goes out to anyone who has lost loved ones or reported health problems… From the body of evidence in clinical trials and real-world data, the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine has continuously been shown to have an acceptable safety profile, and regulators around the world consistently state that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks of extremely rare potential side-effects.”

AstraZeneca withdraws COVID-19 vaccine citing low demand

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