4 min readNew DelhiMay 1, 2024 09:12 AM IST
First published on: Apr 30, 2024 at 08:10 AM IST
AstraZeneca, for the first time, admitted in its court documents that its Covid vaccine can cause rare side effects, paving way for a multi-million pound legal payout, The Telegraph reported on Sunday.
The pharmaceutical company is being sued in a class action over claims that its vaccine against Covid-19, developed with the University of Oxford, caused death and serious injury, including TTS — Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome — which causes people to have blood clots and a low blood platelet count.
AstraZeneca, in collaboration with The University of Oxford, had developed AZD1222 vaccine after the outbreak of the coronavirus in 2020. In India and other low-and-middle-income countries, it was manufactured and supplied under the name “Covishield” by Serum Institute of India (SII) through a licence from the university and the Swedish-British drugmaker.
According to The Telegraph, while it is contesting the claims, AstraZeneca admitted in a legal document submitted to the High Court in February, that its Covid vaccine “can, in very rare cases, cause TTS”.
Lawyers have argued that the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine is “defective” and that its efficacy has been “vastly overstated.” AstraZeneca has strongly denied these claims.
51 cases have been lodged in the High Court, with victims and grieving relatives seeking damages estimated to be worth up to £100 million, the report stated.
The first case was lodged in 2023 by Jamie Scott, who was left with a permanent brain injury after developing a blood clot and a bleed on the brain, since April 2021 when he received the vaccine. In a letter of response sent in May 2023, AstraZeneca had told lawyers who stood for Mr Scott that “we do not accept that TTS is caused by the vaccine at a generic level”.
Kate Scott, Mr Scott’s wife, told The Telegraph, “The medical world has acknowledged for a long time that VITT (vaccine induced immune thrombosis with thrombocytopenia) was caused by the vaccine. It’s only AstraZeneca who have questioned whether Jamie’s condition was caused by the jab… It’s taken three years for this admission to come. It’s progress, but we would like to see more from them and the Government. It’s time for things to move more quickly.”
“I hope their admission means we will be able to sort this out sooner rather than later. We need an apology, fair compensation for our family and other families who have been affected. We have the truth on our side, and we are not going to give up,” The Telegraph quoted Kate.
‘Patient safety is our highest priority’
Sarah Moore, a partner at law firm Leigh Day, who brings the legal claims, said, “In that context, regrettably it seems that AZ, the Government and their lawyers are more keen to play strategic games and run up legal fees than to engage seriously with the devastating impact that their AZ vaccine has had upon our clients’ lives.”
In a statement AstraZeneca said, “Our sympathy goes out to anyone who has lost loved ones or reported health problems. Patient safety is our highest priority, and regulatory authorities have clear and stringent standards to ensure the safe use of all medicines, including vaccines.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the vaccine was “safe and effective for all individuals aged 18 and above” and the adverse effect that has prompted the legal action was “very rare”.
Fifty-one cases have been lodged in the High Court, with victims and grieving relatives seeking damages estimated to be worth up to £100 million. (AP Photo/File) 
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