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astrazeneca

Many countries halt the use of AstraZeneca vaccine

by Medically Speaking Team March 12, 2021

The European countries Denmark, Iceland and Norway have stopped administering the shot of AstraZeneca vaccine while Italy has banned the use of a vaccine as a precaution after some people reported blood clots.

The Health authorities in Denmark ,Norway and Iceland has suspended the use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine after blood clots reported among some people after the inoculation. The Danish health authority has halted the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for 14 days. The Danish agency has also launched an investigation into the vaccine.

The Austria has also stopped the using AstraZeneca shots while investigating a death from Coagulation disorders and the another illness.

March 12, 2021 0 comment

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Shortfalls of Supplies From US may cause delay, warns SII CEO

by Medically Speaking Team March 5, 2021

written by Medically Speaking Team

The chief scientist of World Health Organization and head of world’s biggest vaccine maker says that a global shortage is being faced by the makers of Covid-19 vaccine.
A US law prohibiting the export of certain key commodities, including bags and filters, would create potentially serious bottlenecks, said Adar Poonawalla the chief executive officer of the Serum Institute of India Ltd. — which is licensed to produce hundreds of millions of Covid-19 vaccines from AstraZeneca Plc and Novavax Inc. Soumya Swaminathan from the WHO added that there were shortfalls of vials, glass, plastic and stoppers required by those companies.
“The Novavax vaccine, which we’re a major manufacturer for, needs these items from the U.S.,” Poonawalla said. “If we’re talking about building capacity all over the world, the sharing of these critical raw materials is going to become a critical limiting factor — nobody has been able to address this so far.”
This is one thing that would need some discussion with the Biden administration to explain to them there’s enough to go around,” he added. “We’re talking about having free global access to vaccines but if we can’t get the raw materials out of the U.S. — that’s going to be a serious limiting factor.”
Despite Poonawalla’s warnings, he said that Serum had in the past two months distributed 90 million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine to 51 countries after it was granted emergency authorization by Indian regulators in early January — a record pace for the company.
A meeting will be held on Monday and Tuesday between WHO’s vaccine partners, the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations and the Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers Network, to discuss these issues, said Swaminathan.

March 5, 2021 0 comment

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Reuters: UK to receive 10 million AstraZeneca doses from India

by Medically Speaking Team March 3, 2021

written by Medically Speaking Team

Reuters: The UK government announced on Tuesday that it will receive 10 million doses of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine that is developed by the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer by volume, the Serum Institute of India, along with Oxford University, for dozens of poor and middle-income countries.

Reuters reported in February that Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) was auditing the manufacturing processes at SII to pave the way for the AstraZeneca vaccine to be shipped from there to the UK.

Although this may ignite a controversy that wealthy Western countries are procuring vaccine doses at the expense of poor countries. Alain Alsalhani, Vaccines and Special Projects Pharmacist with NGO Medecins Sans Frontieres, said he was worried about potential delays. “This announcement is a concern as we were under the impression that AstraZeneca would manufacture doses for the UK and Europe in Britain and in the European Union,” he said. “If SII exports doses to Europe, we can genuinely ask ourselves if AZ and SII delivery timelines to the COVAX mechanism in the first half are not going to be subject to delays.”

According to an official data, Britain has been ahead at inoculating people, with nearly 20.5 million residents receiving the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine so far. Separately, the European Union’s drug regulator is auditing the manufacturing site of SII, Reuters reported on Monday. AstraZeneca has committed to delivering 180 million doses in the second quarter to the EU.

Dozens of low-middle-income countries ranging from Bangladesh to Brazil are dependent on SII’s AstraZeneca, branded Covishield but demand has been growing in western countries.

SII is also providing doses to the COVAX programme backed by the World Health Organization and GAVI vaccine alliance. The UK government said the agreement follows assurances from the SII that providing doses to the UK would not impact its commitment to provide vaccines to poorer countries.

Italian non-governmental organisation Emergency remained concerned, however: “The acquisition by the UK is just another example of how the countries with the highest incomes continue to enjoy privileges at the expense of the poorest ones.”

March 3, 2021 0 comment

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