Under-40s in Britain to be offered alternative to Astrazeneca vaccine May 7, 2021 People under the age of 40 in Britain will be offered an alternative to the Astrazeneca coronavirus vaccine following concerns of rare blood clots. In a press conference this morning, the government’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommended that adults in the UK aged between 30 and 39 should seek an alternative vaccine. Professor [...]
Embattled Covid-19 jab maker Astrazeneca reports $275m of vaccine sales April 30, 2021 Embattled Covid-19 vaccine maker Astrazeneca reported a jump in revenue to $7.32bn in the first quarter, including $275m of coronavirus jab sales. The pharmaceutical giant said revenue grew 15 per cent in the first three months of 2021, and profit after tax jumped from £750m to £1.56bn. It recorded $275m of Covid-19 jab sales after [...]
First shipment of medical supplies arrives in Covid-stricken India from the UK April 27, 2021 The first shipment of emergency medical supplies have landed in India today from the UK, as the country’s infection rates have soared in recent weeks. The supplies form part of a global campaign to curtail India’s sudden increase in infections, with the US offering to export 60m of AstraZeneca vaccine doses. India has reported over [...]
EU kicks off legal case against Astrazeneca over vaccine supply issues April 22, 2021 The EU has begun legal proceedings against Astrazeneca over its alleged failure to deliver on its Covid-19 vaccine supply agreements. Speaking in the Irish parliament today, health minister Stephen Donnelly confirmed that the bloc had initiated action. “With regard to Astrazeneca, a legal case has been initiated by the (European) Commission and earlier this week [...]
Blood clot risk from Covid infection ‘eight times higher’ than from Astrazeneca vaccine April 15, 2021 The risk of developing a blood clot from catching coronavirus is eight times higher than after being given the Astrazeneca vaccine, according to a new study by the University of Oxford. Scientists found that cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) occurred in 39 per million coronavirus patients, compared with around 5 per million people given the Astrazeneca jab. In the [...]
Over-40s to be offered Covid vaccine ‘from tomorrow’ April 12, 2021 Over-40s are due to be invited for their first vaccinations against coronavirus from tomorrow, as part of government plans to offer a first injection to all adults in the UK by 31 July. Initial appointments will be reserved for people aged 49, with people in their mid-to-late-40s told to book later in the month as [...]
AstraZeneca diabetes drug tanks in Covid-19 trial April 12, 2021 AstraZeneca has confirmed this morning that its late-stage coronavirus study results, testing whether its diabetes drug could treat Covid-19, has tanked. Its diabetes drug Farxiga was being tested to see if it could treat patients hospitalised with Covid-19 who were at risk of complications and death. The drugmaker said that Farxiga failed to achieve ‘statistical [...]
UK’s vaccine programme ‘breaking link’ between Covid infections and death April 8, 2021 The UK’s vaccination programme is beginning to break the link between Covid-19 infections and deaths, scientists studying the epidemic have said. The latest REACT study by Imperial College London of more than 140,000 people in England shoed infections have fallen roughly two-thirds since February. Data showed that around 0.2 per cent of England’s population had [...]
Oxford scientist set for £15m payday in Vaccitech flotation April 8, 2021 Professor Sarah Gilbert, the Oxford scientist behind Astrazeneca’s coronavirus jab, is set to land a payday of as much as $20m (£15m) as her vaccine start-up prepares for its stock market debut. Gilbert is understood to be sitting on millions of dollars worth of shares in biotech firm Vaccitech, which is expected to list in [...]
EU medicines regulator finds ‘possible link’ between Astrazeneca vaccine and very rare blood clots April 7, 2021 The EU’s medicines regulator has found a “possible link” between the Astrazeneca vaccine and rare blood clots, but said the benefits of receiving the vaccine outweigh potential risks. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) this afternoon published its review into the vaccine, which found that “unusual blood clots with low blood platelets should be listed as [...]