AstraZeneca has admitted in court for the first time that its Covid jab can cause a deadly blood clotting side effect. The Mail has more.
The exceedingly rare [sic] reaction is at the heart of a multi million-pound class action by dozens of families who allege they, or their loved ones, were maimed or killed by the pharmaceutical titan’s “defective” vaccine.
Lawyers representing the claimants believe some of the cases could be worth up to £20m in compensation.
Cambridge-based AstraZeneca, which is contesting the claims, acknowledged in a legal document submitted to the High Court in February that its vaccine “can, in very rare cases, cause TTS”.
TTS is short for thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome – a medical condition where a person suffers blood clots along with a low platelet count. Platelets typically help the blood to clot.
The complication – listed as a potential side effect of the jab – has previously been called vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT).
AstraZeneca’s admission could lead to pay-outs on a case-by-case basis.
Although accepted as a potential side effect for two years, it marks the first time the company has admitted in court that its jab can cause the condition, the Telegraphreports.
Taxpayers will foot the bill of any potential settlement because of an indemnity deal AstraZeneca struck with the Government in the darkest days of Covid to get the jabs produced as quickly as possible while the country was paralysed by lockdowns.
It comes just days after the firm reported a revenue exceeding £10 billion in the first quarter of 2024, a rise of 19%. Company officials stated it had enjoyed a ‘very strong start’ to the year.