Vax benefits outweigh risks of extremely rare potential side effects: AstraZeneca [Video]

Benefits of the Covid-19 vaccine far outweigh the risks of extremely rare potential side effects, pharma giant AstraZeneca said on Tuesday.

The company’s response, in a statement to IANS, comes amidst furore over the company admitting in UK court documents that its vaccine against Covid-19, developed in partnership with Oxford University, can raise the risk of a rare and serious blood clot.

“From the body of evidence in clinical trials and real-world data, the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine has continuously been shown to have an acceptable safety profile,” the statement said.

“Regulators around the world consistently state that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks of extremely rare potential side effects,” it added.

The Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine, sold as Covishield in India and Vaxzevria in Europe is a viral vector vaccine developed using the modified chimpanzee adenovirus ChAdOx1.

In a legal document submitted to the UK High Court, in February, “AstraZeneca accepted …