Suspended in Brazil the production of the immunizer AstraZeneca

According to a technical note from the Ministry of Health, the production of Astrazeneca’s vaccine against covid-19 has been suspended for the time being in Brazil. The decision took into account the possibility of an increased risk of developing thrombosis, especially in females. The Ministry of Health, still in a technical note, started to recommend that the viral vector vaccine should no longer be applied as a booster from the third dose on the population aged under 40 years.

Also in the technical note, it was mentioned that out of 40 probable and confirmed cases of Thrombosis Syndrome with Thrombocytopenia distributed by dose, 34 cases were related to the AstraZeneca vaccine.

It is worth remembering that the immunizer in Brazil is being produced by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), however the production contract was not renewed with the Swedish laboratory.

However, before this suspension of production in Brazil, some studies showed that the AstraZeneca vaccine was linked to the appearance of clots in some of the patients, especially younger patients. As a result, the immunizer was banned from use in populations under 30 years of age in some European countries.

_{Photo: Fiocruz Reproduction/Instagram}

It is important to stress that in mid-2021, the World Health Organization (WHO), given the difficulty in vaccinating people, reinforced that the benefits of immunizer stand out in relation to side effects. In addition, the institution was keen to emphasize that “thromboembolic events can happen frequently”, and that “venous thromboembolism is the third most common cardiovascular disease in the world.”

In Brazil, the National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA), at the time when the immunizer was being approved for use in the country, stated that “the data do not indicate a change in the benefit-risk balance of the vaccine” and that it “recommends continuing of its use by the Brazilian population.”

It is worth remembering that people who took the vaccine in the first years of vaccination against covid-19 do not need to worry about the appearance of late side effects, considering that the rare side effect happens in the first 14 days after the vaccine is applied.

Featured photo: FIOCRUZ Reproduction/Instagram