Fury over AstraZeneca’s trashed reputation as world struggles to find way out of Covid-19

The AstraZeneca vaccine was once seen as the world’s way out of Covid-19 until its reputation was trashed — an outcome that’s sparked fury.

The AstraZeneca vaccine was once seen as a saviour in a world desperate for a way out of the Covid-19 pandemic but its reputation has been trashed in what some believe was payback for Brexit.

The hesitancy around AstraZeneca due to rare but serious blood clots could now have serious consequences for vaccination of poorer nations, which were relying on it to protect their populations.

AstraZeneca was one of the first companies to develop a successful Covid-19 vaccine and the only one to offer it on a non-profit basis.

Sales of the British vaccine — now called Vaxzevria — have risen above $US1 billion ($A1.3 billion) this year but its income remains significantly below that of rivals, The Times reported.

In comparison, American company Pfizer updated Wall Street on its earnings on Wednesday, revealing it had generated $US7.8 billion ($A10.6 billion) in just the second quarter of this year, and is now forecast to earn $US33.5 billion ($A45.4 billion) this year.

AstraZeneca chief executive Pascal Soriot said the company would move to a higher price at some point in the future but noted they had never intended to make large profits.

However, there’s now concern the company’s altruistic stance may have been all for nothing.

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Boris Johnson with the AstraZeneca vaccine. Picture: Paul Ellis/WPA/Getty Images

Many countries in Europe have stopped using the vaccine or have reduced its use, choosing to donate doses that haven’t been administered. Even Australia plans to phase it out later this year.

As Politico pointed out, “the cascading negative press of the past few months is exacerbating the reluctance to accept it”.

There are now concerns that the public distrust driven in part by the fighting between the European Union and the United Kingdom, as well as a failed communication strategy and over-promising of doses “may have ruined Africa’s best chance out of the pandemic”.

“The European leaders who trashed the AstraZeneca vaccine have blood on their hands,” one unnamed UK official told Politico’s London Playbook newsletter.

“We now know what we all suspected is true, that they did it out of spite for Britain because of Brexit. When the history books are written, they’ll say these people were directly responsible for the deaths of thousands in developing countries who won’t take AZ because of their anti-vax scare stories.”

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AstraZeneca vaccines bound for the Falkland Islands. Picture: Leon Neal/Getty Images

The fault cannot be solely pinned on the European Union, with think tank Chatham House pointing to the “piecemeal nature” of AstraZeneca’s Phase III trials, and its “confusing, or even misleading reporting of the results, as well as shortfalls in its supplies to the EU”.

As Europe grappled with a second wave of cases during its winter, AstraZeneca failed to deliver its vaccines to almost everyone on time, with Italy even blocking a shipment of vaccines intended for Australia.

However, the “apparent politicisation” of the issue appears to have contributed to the public distrust.

One European official blamed EU countries for making decisions based on “emotion” rather than science, with Politico also reporting that “scientists and politicians quietly blamed Brexit” for the conflict over the AZ jab.

It’s no wonder that people in other nations, including in Africa, have become confused.

Doses of AstraZeneca sat unused in Uganda for months this year, partly due to concern the country was getting an inferior vaccine. However, a surge in Covid-19 cases has since driven more vaccinations, much like it has in parts of Australia.

However, early this year South Africa decided to pause its AstraZeneca rollout and sell its doses to other African nations amid concern that the jab did not provide enough protection against the local Beta variant.

The effectiveness of the vaccine against new variants is now being looked at with AstraZeneca working on developing a booster shoot.

It also hopes to get its jab approved in the United States by the end of the year.

Experts maintain that AstraZeneca is a very good vaccine and support its use despite rare but serious blood clots.

“When you look at the vaccine, it’s highly effective,” infectious diseases physician and microbiologist Associate Professor Paul Griffin of the University of Queensland told news.com.au.

AstraZeneca is very similar in effectiveness to Pfizer when it comes to preventing hospitalisation after two doses, even for the more infectious Delta variant that’s spread throughout the world, with both of them more than 90 per cent effective.

“All vaccines have side effects but if the benefits didn't outweigh the risks they wouldn’t be used,” Prof Griffin said.

“We are not going to have a 100 per cent, zero adverse effect vaccine because such a thing has never been developed. We need to recognise how beneficial they are and now undermine them with commentary that reduces their use.”

— with AFP

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