After years of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, AstraZeneca has announced that it will stop marketing its vaccine, Vaxzevria, in the European Union starting tomorrow. The decision comes after the European Commission notified the company on March 27 that it will withdraw the marketing authorization of the drug at the company’s request.
AstraZeneca cited several reasons for this move, including a lack of demand for the vaccine and a surplus of other vaccines on the market. Despite its success in helping to combat the pandemic, with over 6.5 million lives saved and more than 3 billion doses supplied worldwide in just one year, Vaxzevria is no longer needed as much as it once was due to numerous updated vaccines available for COVID-19 variants.
The company submitted the withdrawal request on March 5 and emphasized that this decision is in response to changing dynamics of the vaccine market. As Vaxzevria is no longer being produced or supplied, it is appropriate to withdraw it from the EU market.
AstraZeneca’s announcement marks an end to one chapter in Europe’s fight against COVID-19 but opens up new opportunities for other vaccines to step up and continue to help protect public health.
