AstraZeneca to Withdraw Vaxzevria from Market: Decreased Demand Due to Abundance of New Covid-19 Vaccines

The pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca has announced that it will withdraw its successful coronavirus vaccine, Vaxzevria, from the market due to decreased demand caused by the availability of numerous new vaccines. Developed in partnership with the University of Oxford, Vaxzevria has been widely used globally since its first administration in the UK on January 4, 2021, with over 3 billion doses supplied. However, AstraZeneca has not generated revenue from the vaccine since April 2023.

In a statement shared with CNN, AstraZeneca attributed the decline in demand for Vaxzevria to the surplus of updated Covid-19 vaccines that have been developed. As a result, the company has made the decision to stop manufacturing and supplying the vaccine. They have initiated the withdrawal of marketing authorizations for Vaxzevria within Europe, as announced by the European Medicines Agency.

AstraZeneca has stated that they will work with regulators in other countries to determine the future of the vaccine where no future commercial demand is expected. Despite the withdrawal of Vaxzevria, the company expressed pride in the role the vaccine has played in combating the global pandemic. The situation is still developing and updates will be provided as needed.