European Medicines Agency says AstraZeneca vaccine is safe and efficient

Following a re-examination by the European medicines watchdog, the controversial AstraZeneca treatment, suspended in many countries because of an apparent link to irregular blood-clotting, has been cleared as safe to use.

The European Medicines Agency in Amsterdam, Netherlands. REUTERS - PIROSCHKA VAN DE WOUW

Reporting that the number of cases of adverse side effects was inferior to the number of blood-clot complications in the general population, the EMA said all EU member states now have the necessary information to make their individual decisions.

The agency says its findings are clear and scientific: the vaccine is safe.

The EMA had earlier said that it remains "firmly convinced" of the benefits of the AstraZeneca treatment.

The organisation's head, Emer Cooke, pointed out that blood clots highlighted by some countries were relatively common in the general population.

Press conference by @EMA_News Executive Director Emer Cooke on the investigation on COVID-19 vaccine AstraZeneca and thromboembolic events. https://t.co/G81yzlfNcX

— European Commission 🇪🇺 (@EU_Commission) March 16, 2021

"I want to stress at present there is no indication that vaccination has caused these conditions," Cooke said.

In a joint statement last Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi described the EMA's comments as "encouraging".

UK regulator finds no evidence of link to clots

Earlier on Thursday, the UK health regulator announced that there was  'no evidence' the blood clots reported by a number of those vaccinated had been caused by the Covid vaccine.

The UK agency also said there were no ties to clots and the Pfizer vaccine, and incidents were no higher in vaccinated groups than among the unvaccinated.

“A disruption in the vaccination of their populations is a very unfortunate event”

The former Chief Exec of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, Sir Kent Woods responds to the EU’s suspension of the Oxford-Astrazeneca rollout on #BBCBreakfast pic.twitter.com/CwstktNW8b

— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) March 17, 2021

"There is no evidence that blood clots in veins are occurring more than would be expected in the absence of vaccination, for either vaccine," said June Raine, chief executive of the independent Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency

WHO calls for continued use of AstraZeneca shot

In a separate development, the World Health Organization on Thursday renewed a call for countries to continue the use of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine.

The WHO's Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety -- created in 1999 to address safety issues related to vaccines of global importance -- is due to publish the conclusions of its assessment of the safety of AstraZeneca's vaccine on Friday.

As of now, "the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine far outweigh its risks, and its use should continue, to save lives," the WHO's regional director for Europe Hans Kluge told a press conference.

"In vaccination campaigns, it is routine to signal potential adverse events. This does not necessarily mean that the events are linked to the vaccination," Kluge said, repeating calls from the WHO to continue the use of the vaccine while the issue is investigated.

"As of now, we do not know whether some or all of the conditions have been caused by the vaccine or by other coincidental factors. WHO is assessing the latest safety data, and once completed, the findings will be made public," Kluge said.