America News Agency

The announcement comes months after the company realized the vaccine could cause dangerous side effects.

The application to withdraw the vaccine was filed on March 5 and took effect on Tuesday.

According to the Swedish-British company, The Telegraph reported that the vaccine is being removed from the market for purely commercial reasons. Demand has declined as updated versions from other manufacturers have replaced the vaccine adapted to new virus variants.

The vaccine had previously attracted attention due to a rare but dangerous side effect that caused blood clots with low platelet counts in the vaccinated person.

The vaccine's side effects have been linked to at least 81 deaths and several hundred serious injuries in the UK. Last year, Astra Zeneca was sued in the UK after a woman who received the vaccine died in March 2021.

In February this year, Astra Zeneca admitted for the first time in legal documents that the vaccine could cause dangerous side effects.

However, the company insisted that the decision to withdraw the vaccine was not linked to the trial or acceptance, stating that the timing was purely coincidental.

In a statement, Astra Zeneca said it was "incredibly proud of the role the vaccine played in ending the pandemic". According to independent estimates, more than 6.5 million lives had been saved by the vaccine in its first year of use alone.

In March 2021, Sweden suspended vaccination with Astra Zeneca to investigate serious side effects. In July 2021, the Swedish Public Health Agency decided to stop using the vaccine altogether.