Aussie actress Melle Stewart sues Covid vaccine maker over brain injury

An Australian star is taking on the UK’s pharma giant AstraZeneca after a severe brain injury ended her booming acting career.

Australian theatre star Melle Stewart is part of a landmark legal case against Covid vaccine maker AstraZeneca after a life-threatening stroke ended her acting career.

Ms Stewart, 42, was living in London with her husband Ben Lewis in 2021 when she received her first dose of a vaccine developed by AstraZeneca, which is facing a series of legal challenges over “defective” Covid-19 shots.

Two weeks later her life changed when suffered Vaccine-Induced Thrombocytopenic Thrombosis (VITT), a rare side effect that left her in seizures and emergency surgery requiring a large part of her skull to be removed to save her life.

Australian actress Melle Stewart before and after suffering a rare side effect of the Covid-19 vaccine. Picture: Supplied

The once-rising Brisbane star, best known for playing the lead in Mamma Mia! and Kiss Me Kate, received $A230000 from the UK Government in recognition of the vaccine damage, and a GoFundMe page raised $A256,000 for her recovery and rehabilitation.

“Words are my life and it has gone now. I say the words but getting them out is an issue,” Ms Stewart told the UK’s Telegraph.

Neurosurgeons removed part of Ms Stewart’s skull to reduce pressure on the brain. Picture: Supplied

With the end to the careers of Stewart and her husband, who played the Phantom in Phantom of the Opera, the couple are joining about 80 families seeking to sue AstraZeneca because the government’s Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme was insufficient.

Mr Lewis said they were pro-vaccine and had the expectation that the AstraZeneca vaccine was safe.

“And while there are only a relatively small number of people injured or worse, it is incumbent on the Government to take care of the very few people who have done the right thing for the country and society.”

COVID VACCINE MAKER SUED

Vaccine maker AstraZeneca is facing multiple lawsuits over “defective” Covid-19 shots that allegedly caused severe brain injuries and, in extreme cases, death.

The company is set to defend dual test cases in London’s high court that could have far-reaching implications for recipients of the vaccine, which was available in Australia between June 2021 to March 2023.

In the first landmark legal case, the Oxford-developed Covid vaccine was labelled “defective” as its “vastly overstated” efficacy was less than patients were entitled to expect under the Consumer Protection Act.

Jamie Scott, a father of two who was diagnosed with vaccine-induced thrombosis with thrombocytopenia (TTS) after receiving the jab in April 2021, is suing AstraZeneca for millions of pounds.

A second case was bought by the widower and children of Alpa Tailer, who died at the age of 35 after receiving the first dose of the vaccine in March 2021.

If successful, any precedent could open the door to further action by vaccine recipients who suffered blood clots to the brain, or Vaccine-induced Immune Thrombocytopenia and Thrombosis (VITT).

Oxford/AstraZeneca is at the centre of multiple lawsuits. Picture: AFP

While the vaccine was no longer available in Australia from March 21, 2023, the Australian government said the link between the AstraZeneca jab and side effects was rare but serious.

In Australia, the rate of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome was estimated to be about two per 100,000 people over the age of 60. It was about two to three per 100,000 in people under 60 who received the vaccine.

Another, larger claim from 80 people is set to be filed later this year after the case of Mr Scott, who was left with brain damage and was unable to work following a blood clot to the brain.

In a statement after the legal cases were filed in August, an AstraZeneca spokesperson declined to comment on active legal cases but said their “sympathy goes out to anyone who has lost loved ones or reported health problems”.

“Patient safety is our highest priority and regulatory authorities have clear and stringent standards to ensure the safe use of all medicines, including vaccines.

“From the body of evidence in clinical trials and real-world data, Vaxzevria [the vaccine against Covid] has continuously been shown to have an acceptable safety profile and regulators around the world consistently state that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks of extremely rare potential side effects.”

The World Health Organisation in 2022 called the vaccine “safe and effective for all individuals aged 18 and above”, adding that the side effects were “very rare”.

As AstraZeneca defends the efficacy and safety of its breakthrough vaccine, the company is looking for another breakout hit in the weight-loss drug market.

Britain’s biggest drugmaker signed a deal with Shanghai-based pharmaceutical company Eccogene for an experimental drug to treat obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Phase 2 clinical trials are expected to begin by the end of 2024.

Originally published as Aussie actress Melle Stewart sues Covid vaccine maker over brain injury