Covishield Safety Row: Disclosed All Rare Side Effects Including TTS, Says Serum Institute

Pune: All stakeholders have been feeling the heat since AstraZeneca admitted in UK court documents that its COVID-19 vaccine can cause rare side effects like Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS) leading to blood clots and low blood platelet count.

The Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), manufacturer of the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca, has faced questions too as an overwhelming majority of Indians were administered the Covishield vaccine.

On Wednesday, Serum Institute said that it had been completely transparent about Covishield from the beginning as the packaging of its product had “fully disclosed all uncommon to exceedingly rare side effects,” including TTS.

“We fully understand the ongoing concerns and it is crucial to emphasise our commitment to transparency and safety. From the outset, we have disclosed all rare to very rare side-effects, including Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome, in the packaging insert in 2021,” a spokesperson of SII said.

SII had stopped manufacturing of additional doses of Covishield since December 2021 in India.

“With India achieving high vaccination rates in 2021 and 2022, coupled with the emergence of new mutant variant strains, the demand for previous vaccines diminished significantly. Consequently, since December 2021, we have stopped the manufacturing and supply of additional doses of Covishield,” added the SII spokesperson.

Also Read: AstraZeneca Withdraws COVID Vaccine Globally; Here’s Why