‘No one else will now suffer this terrible reaction’: Victims of AstraZeneca’s Covid jab hail Pharma Titan’s decision to withdraw vaccine globally after admitting it can cause dangerous side effect linked to 81 deaths in Britain Britain

AstraZeneca’s landmark decision to withdraw its Covid jab globally has been praised by victims of an extremely rare but fatal side effect, who said it ‘means no one else will suffer from this terrible side effect’.

The pharmaceutical titan’s vaccine, once heralded as a ‘triumph for British science’, has come under intense scrutiny in recent months due to a very rare complication causing blood clots and low platelet counts. It has been linked to 81 deaths in Britain and hundreds of serious injuries.

The jab, developed in partnership with the University of Oxford, can no longer be used in the European Union after the company voluntarily withdrew its ‘marketing authorisation’, which comes into effect today.

Similar applications to withdraw the vaccine will be made in other countries that had previously approved it, including Britain. About 50 million doses have been given in Britain.

AstraZeneca’s withdrawal comes months after it admitted the jab could cause the thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) reaction.

Among those claiming compensation for injuries linked to AstraZeneca’s vaccine is father-of-two and IT engineer Jamie Scott. He was left with a permanent brain injury due to a blood clot and the brain hemorrhage after receiving the vaccine in April 2021. The 47-year-old has not been able to work since.

His wife Kate said: ‘AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccine no longer being used in Britain or Europe, and soon in the rest of the world, means no one else will suffer this terrible side effect.

“They say it’s for commercial reasons, but maybe it’s because it’s no longer within acceptable safety parameters.”

Mr Scott, 47, told the Daily telegram: ‘This is good news, but I always wish that, like in other countries, they had stopped it in Britain after just one case.

“More lives could have been saved and I wouldn’t have suffered the way I do now.”

Fifty-one families are currently taking legal action against the pharmaceutical titan, claiming the ‘defective’ injection was responsible for their injuries and the deaths of loved ones.

However, AstraZeneca denies that the decision to withdraw the vaccine is related to the lawsuit, insisting that the vaccine is instead being withdrawn from the market for commercial reasons.

The company said in court documents that the vaccine is reportedly no longer being manufactured or supplied as it has been replaced by updated vaccines that address newer variants.

A spokesperson said: ‘We are incredibly proud of the role Vaxzevria has played in ending the global pandemic.

‘According to independent estimates, more than 6.5 million lives were saved in the first year of use alone and more than three billion doses were delivered worldwide.

“Our efforts have been recognized by governments around the world and are widely regarded as a crucial part of ending the global pandemic.

‘As multiple variant Covid vaccines have been developed since then, there is a surplus of available, updated vaccines.

‘This has led to a decrease in demand for Vaxzevria, which is no longer produced or supplied. AstraZeneca has therefore taken the decision to initiate the withdrawal of the marketing authorizations for Vaxzevria within Europe.

‘We will now work with regulators and our partners to determine a clear path forward to close this chapter and make a significant contribution to the Covid pandemic.’

TTS, or vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT), is believed to be linked to at least 81 deaths in Britain.

However, not all of them have been proven. And not every family is seeking legal action.

With TTS, a person suffers from blood clots and a low platelet count. Platelets generally help the blood to clot.

The complication – listed as a possible side effect of the jab – was previously called vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT).

The complication is extremely rare, given the millions of doses distributed during the rollout. The risk is believed to be about one in 50,000.

AstraZeneca’s inclusion in court documents earlier this year could lead to payouts on a case-by-case basis.

Taxpayers will foot the bill for any potential settlement over an indemnity deal AstraZeneca struck with the government in the darkest days of Covid to produce the jabs as quickly as possible while the country was paralyzed by lockdowns.

Similar actions to those taken by British families are believed to be underway in other countries where the AstraZeneca jab has been deployed, including Germany and Italy.

Health officials first identified cases of VITT linked to AstraZeneca’s shot in Europe as early as March 2021, just over two months after the vaccine was first deployed in Britain.

However, it wasn’t until April that year that the evidence became clear enough that the jab began to be restricted.

Shocked officials first limited the jab to only people over 30. They then restricted it to only those over 40 in May 2021.

Because the vaccine still worked against Covid, it was still considered worth giving to older Britons who were at greater risk of death or injury from illness from the virus.

Further rollouts of the Covid vaccine have minimized the use of the AstraZeneca jab and/or phased it out entirely in favor of mRNA alternatives such as those made by rival pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Moderna.