As AstraZeneca withdraws Covid vaccines, here's what Serum Institute did with Covishield
A vial of Covishield manufactured by the Serum Institute of India being displayed by an official. Source: FILE/REUTERS.
Covid vaccines which were once a life saver are now a matter of concern for people across the globe. After AstraZeneca announced withdrawing its Covid vaccine, all eyes are on what Serum Institute of India (SII), which produced the UK-based pharma giant’s Covid jabs under the brand name Covishield, would do.
The SII disclosed that it stopped manufacturing its vaccine against Covid – Covishield – back in December 2021. The Pune-based pharmaceutical company also said the supply of additional doses was also halted.
“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,” a SII spokesperson said in the statement.
‘Disclosed all rare to very rare side effects’
The SII acknowledges the concerns on AstraZeneca’s withdrawal of Vaxzervria after the pharma giant admitted that the COVID-19 vaccine can cause a rare side effect called Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS).
The Pune-based vaccine manufacturer said it has disclosed all rare and very rare side effects in the packaging inserts of the Covid-19 vaccine it manufactured.
“We fully understand the ongoing concerns and it’s 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,” the SII said.
“Despite the challenges faced during the global pandemic, the safety of the vaccine remains paramount. Regardless of whether it’s AstraZeneca’s Vaxzervria or our own Covishield, both vaccines have been instrumental in saving millions of lives worldwide. We commend the collaborative efforts of governments and ministries in facilitating a unified global response to the pandemic,” the Pune-based vaccine manufacturer said.
AstraZeneca withdraws its Covid vaccine
On Tuesday (May 7), AstraZeneca announced the withdrawal of its Covid vaccine due to a “surplus of available updated vaccines” since the pandemic. The company also declared that it would proceed to withdraw Vaxzevria’s marketing authorisations within Europe.
“As multiple, variant Covid-19 vaccines have since been developed there is a surplus of available updated vaccines,” AstraZeneca said.
On January 3, 2021, India’s drugs regulator approved two Covid-19 vaccines — Covaxin and Covishield — for restricted use in emergency situation in the country.
India began nationwide Covid-19 vaccination programme on January 16, 2021 initially immunising the adult population and people with comorbidities.
Both these Covid vaccines were largely used in India with SII’s Covishield administered the most. As per reports, at least 170 crore doses of Covishield have been administered so far since January 2021.
With inputs from agencies