Covishield Can Cause Rare Side Effect, Admits AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca's vaccine, sold as Covishield in India, was in partnership with the Serum Institute of India.
AstraZeneca has admitted in court documents for the first time that its Covid vaccine may lead to a rare side effect, according to media reports. It is noteworthy that AstraZeneca's vaccine was sold as Covishield in India in partnership with the Serum Institute of India.
A class-action lawsuit has been filed against the pharmaceutical company over allegations that its vaccine, co-developed with the University of Oxford, resulted in fatalities and severe injuries in numerous instances, The Telegraph reported.
The initial lawsuit was filed last year by Jamie Scott, a father of two, who suffered a permanent brain injury after experiencing a blood clot and brain hemorrhage following his vaccination in April 2021.
AstraZeneca is disputing the allegations but has acknowledged, in a legal filing submitted to the high court in February, that its Covid vaccine "can, in very rare cases, cause TTS" — Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome. TTS leads to blood-clot formation and a decrease in blood platelet count.
In a letter of response sent in May 2023, AstraZeneca informed Scott's lawyers that they do not accept the assertion that TTS is caused by the vaccine on a generic level.
However, in a legal document submitted to the high court in February, AstraZeneca said: "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 (or any vaccine). Causation in any individual case will be a matter for expert evidence," it said.
