AstraZeneca said on Sunday that a review of safety data of people vaccinated with its COVID-19 vaccine has shown no evidence of a link between the vaccine and an increased risk of blood clots.
The vaccine review, which covered millions across the United Kingdom and European Union, came as a handful of countries suspended their use of the shot following reports that it could be connected to blood clots.
'No Evidence of An Increased Risk' of Blood Clotting
"A careful review of all available safety data of more than 17 million people vaccinated in the European Union and UK with COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca has shown no evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis or thrombocytopenia, in any defined age group, gender, batch or in any particular country," the company said.
The use of the vaccine was halted in Ireland, Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and Iceland after reports of recipients developing blood clots following their doses. Austria also paused its AstraZeneca vaccine rollout as authorities investigated the death of an individual who was administered a dose.
The European Medicines Agency as well as the World Health Organization also confirmed that there is no indication that the clotting was caused by the vaccination.
Similar Blood Clotting Cases Reported by Other COVID-19 Vaccines
AstraZeneca noted, 15 events of deep vein thrombosis and 22 events of pulmonary embolism have been reported so far, which is similar across other licensed COVID-19 vaccines.
The Swedish-U.K. drug manufacturer said additional testing is being conducted by the company as well as by European health authorities and none of the re-tests have shown cause for concern. The monthly safety report will be made available on the EMA website in the coming week, the company said.
The AstraZeneca vaccine, developed in collaboration with Oxford University, has been authorised for use in the European Union and many countries but not yet by U.S. regulators. The company is preparing to file for U.S. emergency use authorisation and is expecting data from its U.S. Phase III trial to be available in the coming weeks.
