A AstraZeneca admitted for the first time in court documents that its vaccine against Covid-19can cause a rare side effect, according to the British newspaper The Telegraph.
A class action filed by 51 families in the English High Court accuses the pharmaceutical giant of deaths and serious injuries that allegedly occurred after the application of the vaccine, developed in partnership with the University of Oxford. Victims and relatives are seeking compensation of up to £100 million (around R$650 million at current prices).
AstraZeneca disputes the allegations, but admitted, in a legal document presented to the High Court in February, that the vaccine “may, in very rare cases, cause TTS”.
“Furthermore, TTS can also occur in the absence of the AZ vaccine (or any vaccine). Causation in any individual case will be a matter for expert evidence,” he continued.
TTS is the acronym for Thrombosis Syndrome with Thrombocytopenia, a disease that causes blood clots and a low blood platelet count in people.
Sarah Moore, partner at law firm Leigh Day, which is responsible for the legal claims, says that “it took a year for AstraZeneca to formally admit that its vaccine can cause the devastating blood clots, when this fact has been widely accepted by the clinical community since the end of 2021”.
“In this context, it unfortunately appears that AZ, the government and its lawyers are more interested in playing strategic games and racking up legal fees than in seriously dealing with the devastating impact that its AZ vaccine has had on the lives of our clients,” he added.
In a statement, AstraZeneca said: “Our condolences go out to anyone who has lost loved ones or reported health concerns. Patient safety is our highest priority, and regulatory authorities have clear and rigorous standards to ensure safe use for everyone medicines, including vaccines”.
“From the body of evidence in clinical trials and real-world data, the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine has continued to show an acceptable safety profile and regulators around the world have consistently stated that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks of potential side effects extremely rare,” he continued.
The drugmaker further stated that product information relating to the vaccine was updated in April 2021, with approval from the UK regulator, to include “the possibility that the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine may be capable, in very rare cases, of being a trigger for” TTS.
The World Health Organization said the vaccine was “safe and effective for all individuals aged 18 and over” and the adverse effect that prompted the legal action was “very rare.”
