AstraZeneca has admitted for the first time in court documents that the drug company’s vaccine, made for the coronavirus, can cause rare side effects, an admission that is expected to open Aeolos’ pocket for huge damages.
The pharmaceutical giant has been sued in a class-action lawsuit over allegations that its vaccine, developed with the University of Oxford, caused death and serious side effects in dozens of cases.
In Britain, where the pharmaceutical company is headquartered, 51 families have filed a class action against AstraZeneca.
The Telegraph, in its coverage of the first lawsuit against the company, notes that it concerns British computer engineer and father-of-two Jamie Scott, who was left with permanent brain damage after developing a blood clot and bleeding on the brain that prevented him from working after receiving the vaccine in April 2021. The hospital called his wife three times to tell her that her husband was going to die.
AstraZeneca disputes the claims but has accepted, in a legal document filed at the High Court in February, that its Covid vaccine “may, in very rare cases, cause TTS, that is, thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome”.
Fifty-one cases have been brought to the High Court, with victims and grieving relatives seeking damages estimated at £100m.
In Britain, where the pharmaceutical company is headquartered, 51 families have filed a class action against AstraZeneca.
The admission was made in the UK High Court in May 2023, when Jamie Scott’s case was being heard. It could lead to damages if the drug company accepts that the vaccine was the cause of serious illness and death in certain legal cases. The Government has pledged to take over AstraZeneca’s legal accounts.
AstraZeneca’s response
In a letter sent in May 2023, AstraZeneca told Scott’s lawyers that “we do not accept that TTS is caused by the vaccine in general”.
In it, the company notes that, “It is accepted that the AZ vaccine may in very rare cases cause TTS. The causative mechanism is not known. TTS can also be caused by the absence of AZ vaccine or any vaccine.”
The company does not acknowledge claims that it made a U-turn by admitting that the vaccine can cause TTS in court documents.
The lawyers argue that the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine is “flawed” and that its effectiveness has been “grossly overstated” – claims that AstraZeneca strongly denies.
The Telegraph reported that scientists had for the first time identified a link between the vaccine and a disease called vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (VITT syndrome). Jamie’s wife, Kate Scott, spoke to the British media where, among other things, she noted that, “it took three years to make this admission. It is progress, but we would like to see more from them and from the government. It’s time to move things faster.”
The company does not acknowledge claims that it made a U-turn by acknowledging that the vaccine can cause TTS in court documents.
Independent studies show that the AstraZeneca vaccine has been incredibly effective in fighting the pandemic, saving more than six million lives worldwide in its first year on the market.
The World Health Organization said the vaccine was “safe and effective for all people aged 18 and over” and the adverse effect that led to the legal action was “very rare”.
The vaccine – heralded on its launch by Boris Johnson as a “triumph for British science” – is no longer used in the UK.
Vaccine reimbursement program
The government is running its own vaccine compensation scheme, but alleged victims claim the £120,000 one-off payment is insufficient.
Figures obtained under a Freedom of Information request show that of the 163 payments made by the government up to February this year, at least 158 went to recipients of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program provides compensation to those injured by vaccines or bereaved relatives. Fewer than five people in the program received vaccines other than AstraZeneca.
AstraZeneca has previously argued in court documents that the claims against the company are “confusing” and “legally incorrect”. In the defense filing, AstraZeneca said the benefit/risk profile of the vaccine was, and remains, positive.
AstraZeneca is the second largest listed company in the UK, with a market value of over £170 billion. Its chief executive, Sir Pascal Soriot, is the highest-paid boss among FTSE 100 companies, earning close to £19m.
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