ASTRAZENECA has wound down its Covid vaccine and will no longer make or distribute it because the pandemic is over.
The firm said demand is low as there are so many other jabs available.
It is another sign that the outbreak is consigned to history after the World Health Organisation last year declared the global emergency over.
The Oxford-AstraZeneca jab was the second to enter public rollouts after the UK was first to begin using Pfizer’s in December 2020.
The NHS mostly stopped using the vaccine after it was deemed risky for young people and Pfizer was better suited as a booster for the elderly.
Professor Adam Finn, of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, said: “We’re in a very different place with almost everyone in the population immune to the coronavirus so the need for this vaccine is evaporating.”
The vaccine was linked to a rare but deadly form of blood clotting that has led some families to sue the company over the deaths and injuries of loved ones.
At least 81 people in the UK are confirmed to have died from the condition, according to reports.
Vaccine-induced thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (VITT) was only seen shortly after the jabs so people who received them years ago are safe now.
Newer jabs are more targeted to the current variants of Covid.
A doctor’s view on AstraZeneca’s withdrawal
Dr Rachel Ward, a GP from Oxfordshire, said: “The AstraZeneca vaccine is not dangerous.
“In fact, it saved many lives during Covid.
“Like all vaccines and medications, it had some rare side effects which we understood well as it was given to so many people across the world, allowing us to collect lots of information quickly.
“You do not need to do anything if you have had an AstraZeneca Covid vaccine.
“If you need further vaccines going forward, you will be given another brand – but it does not matter if you had AstraZeneca previously.
“This move is a positive development with Covid protection, as we now have newer vaccines to replace it.”
An AstraZeneca spokesperson said: “We are incredibly proud of the role Vaxzevria played in ending the global pandemic.
“According to independent estimates, over 6.5million lives were saved in the first year of use alone and over three billion doses were supplied globally.
“Our efforts have been recognised by governments around the world and are widely regarded as being a critical component of ending the global pandemic.
“As multiple, variant Covid-19 vaccines have since been developed, there is a surplus of available updated vaccines.
“This has led to a decline in demand for Vaxzevria, which is no longer being manufactured or supplied.
“AstraZeneca has therefore taken the decision to initiate withdrawal of the marketing authorisations for Vaxzevria within Europe.
“We will now work with regulators and our partners to align on a clear path forward to conclude this chapter and significant contribution to the Covid-19 pandemic.”
The NHS is continuing its seasonal Covid booster rollout for elderly people and those with weak immune systems, using Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
SCIENTISTS MAKING ‘PANDEMIC-PROOF’ JAB
BRITISH scientists reckon they can make a vaccine for coronaviruses we do not even know about yet.
Cambridge University experts are developing a pandemic-proofing jab that triggers immunity to the basic building blocks that are common across a number of coronaviruses.
It could work against different viruses and variants by targeting shared parts that do not change when they mutate.
Typical vaccines target super-specific parts of the viruses and become less effective when the bugs evolve.
Lab tests on mice suggest a single vaccine using the new technology can already defend against Sars, Covid and a number of high-risk coronaviruses known to spread between bats.
Researcher Rory Hills said: “Our focus is to create a vaccine that will protect us against the next coronavirus pandemic and have it ready before the pandemic has even started.”