Moreover, SII also said that it had disclosed all rare and very rare side effects of the vaccine in the packaging inserts as well.
“With India achieving high vaccination rates in 2021 and 2022, coupled with the emergence of new mutant variant strains, the demand for previous vaccines diminished significantly. Consequently, since December 2021, we have stopped the manufacturing and supply of additional doses of Covishield,” SII said.
The biotechnology company also acknowledged the concerns on Astrazeneca’s withdrawal of Vaxzervria following the UK-based company’s admission that its Covid-19 vaccine can cause a rare side effect called Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS).
This acknowledgment coincides with the company being sued for claims of serious harm and fatalities linked to the vaccine.
“We fully understand the ongoing concerns and it is crucial to emphasise our commitment to transparency and safety. From the outset, we have disclosed all rare to very rare side-effects, including Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome, in the packaging insert in 2021,” SII spokesperson added.The spokesperson further asserted, “Regardless of whether it’s AstraZeneca’s Vaxzervria or our own Covishield, both vaccines have been instrumental in saving millions of lives worldwide.” This disclosure comes amid AstraZeneca’s announcement that it has begun the global withdrawal of its COVID-19 vaccine, citing a surplus of available updated vaccines since the pandemic began. The company has also decided to withdraw the vaccine’s marketing authorizations within Europe.
The UK-based pharmaceutical company also collaborated with the Serum Institute of India (SII), the largest vaccine producer globally, to provide the vaccine (Covishield) to the Indian government.
Families of individuals who suffered adverse effects from the vaccine are pursuing legal action against AstraZeneca and the Serum Institute of India. Venugopalan Govindan, the father of Karunya, who passed away allegedly after receiving the Covishield vaccine, expressed his deep sorrow and blamed various parties for his daughter’s death.
(More to come)
