April 30th 2024.
According to recent court papers being quoted in the UK media, AstraZeneca, a UK-based pharmaceutical company, has acknowledged that their COVID vaccine may cause a rare blood clot-related side effect. However, they have stated that there is no known causal link at this time.
In a legal document submitted to the High Court in London in February, the company admitted that their vaccine, developed in partnership with the University of Oxford, may lead to Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS) in very rare cases. This vaccine, also known as Vaxzevria, is manufactured by the Serum Institute of India and was referred to as Covishield in India.
The document further states, "It is admitted that the AZ vaccine can, in very rare cases, cause TTS. The causal mechanism is not known. Further, TTS can also occur in the absence of the AZ vaccine. Causation in any individual case will be a matter for expert evidence." This admission comes in light of a group action lawsuit brought by 51 claimants against AstraZeneca UK Ltd for damages under Section 2 of the UK's Consumer Protection Act 1987.
Lawyers representing the claimants have stated that their clients or their loved ones who received the AZ vaccine have suffered from TTS, a rare syndrome characterized by the simultaneous occurrence of blood clots and low platelet levels. This condition can have life-threatening consequences such as strokes, brain damage, heart attacks, pulmonary embolism, and amputation.
Out of the 51 claimants, 12 have lost a loved one due to TTS after receiving the vaccine. According to Sarah Moore, a partner at Leigh Day law firm representing the claimants, all of the claimants have death certificates or medical evidence confirming that the vaccine caused the deaths and injuries. She also expressed her disappointment in AstraZeneca's delayed acknowledgement of the harm caused by their vaccine, stating that it should have been accepted by the clinical community since the end of 2021.
AstraZeneca, on the other hand, has strongly denied these claims and expressed their sympathy for those who have suffered due to the vaccine. They have stated that patient safety is their top priority and that regulatory authorities have strict standards in place to ensure the safe use of all medicines, including vaccines. They further note that the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine has continuously been shown to have an acceptable safety profile in both clinical trials and real-world data.
The company also points out that they updated the product information for their vaccine in April 2021, with the approval of the UK regulator, to include the possibility of TTS as a rare side effect. Therefore, the court documents simply reference this aspect rather than reveal something new.
Dr Aseem Malhotra, a British Indian cardiologist and a vocal campaigner on this issue, has expressed his dismay at AstraZeneca's delayed acknowledgement of the harm caused by their vaccine. He questions why this information was not known earlier and whether the vaccine should have been administered in the first place.
The World Health Organization has stated that the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine is safe and effective for individuals aged 18 and above, with the adverse effect that has prompted the legal action being classified as "very rare".
The claimants in the UK have submitted "Particulars of Claim" for two cases, and AstraZeneca has provided their defense disputing liability. Both parties have requested for the cases to be managed together, and a case management hearing is expected to take place later this year in the London High Court.
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