The Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is being withdrawn globally due to concerns about a rare and hazardous side effect, as reported by The Telegraph.
Months after the pharmaceutical giant acknowledged in court documents that the vaccine can induce this rare side effect, the company made a statement confirming the withdrawal on Tuesday.
The vaccine’s usage in the European Union has ceased following the company’s voluntary withdrawal of its “marketing authorisation,” effective as of Tuesday.
A similar withdrawal application will be submitted in the UK and other countries where the vaccine, also known as Vaxzevria, had been previously approved.
This decision marks the conclusion of the vaccine’s administration, which was once hailed by Boris Johnson as a “triumph for British science” and attributed to saving over six million lives.