European Union's Medical Regulator to make statement on AstraZeneca

European medicines agency top official said that there is a causal link between the AstraZeneca vaccine and rare blood clots. he said that it's unclear what the connection is but the benefits of taking the vaccine still outweigh the risks of getting covid-19. European Union's Medical Regulator is going to make a definitive statement on the Astrazeneca blood clot topic.

EMR to make statement on AstraZeneca 

Marco cavalry, head of health threats and vaccines strategy at the Amsterdam based energy agency told rooms 1 l Messaggero newspaper that the European medicines regulator is preparing to make a more definitive statement on the topic this week. The EMA press office said that the evaluation of the vaccine has not concluded. They are currently reviewing the vaccine and as soon as the review is concluded, a press conference will be organised on April 8 or April 9.

Cavaleri said that based on the evidence, there is an association between AstraZeneca vaccines and rare blood clots. The pharmaceutical company and Oxford University which developed the vaccine announced they were pausing the trial of their jabs in children. The World Health Organization said that its experts were also evaluating the link between the AstraZeneca vaccine and rare blood clots.

Earlier last month, several countries in the European Union had temporarily suspended the use of AstraZeneca’s vaccine over reports of blood clots in recipients. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) launched an investigation into the reports of blood clots in people who had been given AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine. On March 18, EMA concluded that there was no increase in the overall risk of blood clots in recipients of AstraZeneca’s vaccine, reaffirming its safety and efficacy. 

The British medicines regulator MHRA also backed the AstraZeneca vaccine while confirming at least 30 cases of rare blood clots amongst UK recipients. MHRA categorically stated that the risks associated with the vaccine are worth the protection that it provides against the viral disease, which is continuing to rage havoc in the country. Germany and the Netherlands have said they will suspend the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for use in people aged 60 or above. 

(Image Credits: ANI/AP)

(Inputs from The Associated Press)