AstraZeneca hit by legal challenges over Covid vaccine
Dozens of patients and families are launching legal action against AstraZeneca over a rare side effect linked to its Covid vaccine.
The European pharma giant is facing two London lawsuits, including one from the husband of a woman who suffered a severe brain injury after receiving the jab.
AstraZeneca is contesting the claims but has accepted in a legal document submitted to the High Court that there is a "small risk" of the rare side effect, known as vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT).
The claimants in the court case argue that AstraZeneca failed to adequately warn of the risk of VITT and that the company's Covid vaccine was defective.
One of the claimants, Jamie Scott, suffered a severe brain injury after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine in March 2021. His wife, Vicky, is now bringing a legal case against AstraZeneca on his behalf.
In a statement, AstraZeneca said: "We are contesting the claims made in these lawsuits. We believe that our Covid-19 vaccine is safe and effective and that the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks."
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