(WDAY Radio) — A COVID-19 vaccine is being pulled from the European market after stark demand fall and acknowledgment of rare health concerns.
AstraZeneca announced they would pull their vaccine after a shift in demand to other COVID-19 vaccines rose to meet the new variants of the virus. The vaccine, which is credited with saving millions of lives throughout the pandemic, also had the potential to rarely cause blood clots and induce low platelet levels.
Companies like Pfizer and Moderna continue to maintain market relevance to the COVID-19 vaccine market, with the two companies currently dominating the vaccine market. A total of 13.58 billion COVID-19 vaccines have been administered across the globe according to data collection experts. Pfizer and Moderna made billions of dollars off of vaccine sales in 2023 according to Health Care Dive, but AstraZeneca made an estimated $12 million from their vaccine sales in the year, compared to the previous $1.8 billion in 2022.
The vaccine from AstraZeneca was never filed for approval through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but was in use across several countries in Europe, Australia, and other continents.
