AstraZeneca’s Global Vaccine Withdrawal: Navigating Public Health Ethics and Corporate Accountability

AstraZeneca's decision to withdraw its COVID-19 vaccine, Vaxzevria, marks a significant moment in post-pandemic healthcare governance. While the company cites 'commercial reasons' due to a surplus of newer vaccines targeting variants, the move follows a legal admission in a UK court that the vaccine can, in very rare cases, cause Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS). For India, where the vaccine was manufactured as 'Covishield' by the Serum Institute of India and formed the backbone of the national vaccination drive, this development is particularly significant. From a governance perspective, the situation underscores the necessity of robust pharmacovigilance systems. During the pandemic, 'Emergency Use Authorizations' (EUAs) were granted based on urgent benefit-risk assessments. However, the long-term monitoring of non-infectious complications arising from infectious disease interventions remains a critical challenge for regulatory bodies. The legal admission of side effects brings the issue of corporate liability and state responsibility to the forefront, especially regarding compensation for vaccine-induced injuries.