AstraZeneca, an Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company, announced on Wednesday that it was stopping Vaxzevria, one of the first Covid vaccines created during the fatal pandemic, due to “commercial reasons” when demand fell off.
“As multiple, variant Covid-19 vaccines have since 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,” an AstraZeneca spokesperson added in a statement.
“We will now work with regulators and our partners to align on a clear path forward to conclude this chapter and significant contribution to the Covid-19 pandemic.”
AstraZeneca quickly created the effective Covid-19 vaccine in response to the coronavirus pandemic that broke out in the first half of 2020.
Co-developed with Oxford University, Vaxzevria was first provided at no cost; but, in late 2021, Astra made the decision to sell it for a profit.
However, the globe turned to mRNA vaccines, especially the one made by German rival BioNTech and US pharmaceutical behemoth Pfizer, after uncommon blood clot issues with Astra’s vaccination raised public resistance to receiving it.
As the global health crisis subsided and COVID restrictions were completely eliminated globally, sales fell even more.
According to an AstraZeneca representative, the company has started the process of removing it from sale in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMA) area.
In situations “where no future commercial demand for the vaccine is expected,” the corporation will collaborate with other regulators worldwide to begin market authorization withdrawals for the Vaxzevria vaccine.
The spokesperson said that, according to independent estimates, “over 6.5 million lives were saved in the first year of use alone” and more than three billion doses were supplied globally.
“We are incredibly proud of the role Vaxzevria played in ending the global pandemic,” the spokesperson said.
“Our efforts have been recognised by governments around the world and are widely regarded as being a critical component of ending the global pandemic.”
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