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AMSTERDAM, March 18 (Reuters) - The EU's drug watchdog said on
Thursday it is still convinced the benefits of AstraZeneca's
COVID-19 vaccine outweigh the risks following an
investigation into reports of blood disorders that prompted more
than a dozen nations to suspend its use.
Following are reactions after the European Medicines Agency
(EMA) gave an update on its views on the Oxford-AstraZeneca
vaccine.
STEPHAN LEWANDOWSKY, AN EXPERT IN COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY AT
THE UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL, UK
Risk management is "a very difficult issue, and different
member states and countries may well come to different decisions
on it".
"Exercising precaution is one possible way in which policy
makers manage risk, and it is more prevalent in European
countries than the U.S. or U.K., where the emphasis is more on
weighing of risks and benefits.
"Given that the European public is generally risk averse,
the suspension and careful examination of the cases by the EMA
may therefore help maintain public trust in the vaccination
process, even though it may also mean that more people will get
sick from COVID-19 than if the vaccinations had continued."
PROF. GINO MARTINI, CHIEF SCIENTIST, ROYAL PHARMACEUTICAL
SOCIETY, UK
“I hope that any concerns about potential links between the
Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine can now be discarded given
the positive verdicts delivered by the EMA, the WHO and the MHRA
(UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency), who
have all now said it is safe, effective and can continue to be
used. The vaccine is playing a crucial role in protecting
vulnerable groups from hospitalisation and death and helping to
decrease infection rates across the UK.
“As trusted health professionals, pharmacists are playing a
key role in administering COVID-19 vaccinations and have
contributed enormously to the success of the programme so far.
We have full confidence in these vaccines and can confidently
state that pharmacists can continue administering them to
patients. It is so important that we get all those at risk from
the virus vaccinated as soon as possible.”
ANTONELLA VIOLA, PROFESSOR OF IMMUNOLOGY AT ITALY'S
UNIVERSITY OF PADUA
"EMA reiterates that the benefits outweigh the risks ...
very few cases of thrombosis and in line with what would be
expected anyway from the non-vaccinated population. However,
they do not exclude the possibility of a link between the
vaccine and these rare episodes ... and therefore
pharmacovigilance will continue.
"So what we have to do is this: we must reassure everyone,
these events are extremely rare and the vaccine continues to
show a very high level of safety."
JACQUES BATTISTONI, HEAD OF FRENCH DOCTORS' UNION MG
"We are delighted with the EMA's announcement which paves the
way for a restart of vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine in
France. General practitioners will be able to do so as soon as
Friday if the French government authorizes us to do so."
(Reporting by Kate Kelland, Emilio Parodi and Matthias Blamont)
