The pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine is being withdrawn globally after the company acknowledged in court documents that it can cause a rare and dangerous side effect. However, the pharma giant said that the vaccine is being removed from the markets for commercial reasons.

Calling the decision "purely coincidental", the pharma giant has insisted that the withdrawal of vaccine is not linked to its admission that it can cause TTS - Thrombosis Thrombocytopenia Syndrome.

As the company voluntarily withdrew its "marketing authorisation", the vaccine is no longer authorised for use in the European Union. The withdrawal application was submitted on March 5 and took effect on Tuesday.

TTS has been associated with at least 81 deaths in the UK, along with numerous serious injuries. AstraZeneca faces lawsuits from over 50 alleged victims and bereaved relatives in a High Court case.

Source: India Today