UK-based AstraZeneca has acknowledged that it Covid vaccine Covishield can lead to a rare side effect, according to a report. Developed jointly by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, Covishield was produced by Serum Institute of India.
Court documents have revealed that the vaccine can cause a condition called TTS (Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome) that results in blood clots and low platelet count in rare cases, reported UK-based The Telegraph.
What is Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome?
The syndrome is characterised by "thrombosis formation (blood clots) combined with thrombocytopenia (low platelet count) with symptoms typically presenting in the 4-42 days after vaccination," according to Melbourne Vaccine Education Centre.
In the court documents, 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."
The pharama giant is now facing a class action lawsuit in the UK over claims that its vaccine caused deaths and severe injuries. At total of 51 victims have moved the UK High Court seeking damages up t0 100 million pounds (Rs 1,047 crore).
The company's admission was made in a legal defence to a claim made by Jamie Scott, who was the first complainant in the case. Scott had alleged that he got the vaccine in April 2021, following which his blood clotted, causing him a permanent brain injury.
This statement by the company contradicts its own 2023 claim, wherein it told Scott's lawyers that "we do not accept that TTS is caused by the vaccine at a generic level." However, the pharma major has dimissed allegatiosn that the vaccine is "defective".