The British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has decided to globally withdraw its COVID-19 vaccine, citing a rare and dangerous side effect associated with the jab.

The news was first reported by The Telegraph, which confirmed that the company had voluntarily withdrawn its “marketing authorisation," meaning it will no longer be available for purchase. 

The paper reported:

The Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine is being withdrawn worldwide, months after the pharmaceutical giant admitted for the first time in court documents that it can cause a rare and dangerous side effect.

The vaccine can no longer be used in the European Union, after the company voluntarily withdrew its “marketing authorisation”. The application to withdraw the vaccine was made on March 5 and came into effect on Tuesday. Similar applications will be made in the coming months in the UK and in other countries that had approved the vaccine, known as Vaxzevria.

The decision to withdraw it brings to an end the use of the jab, which was heralded by Boris Johnson as a “triumph for British science” and credited with saving more than six million lives. AstraZeneca said the vaccine was being removed from markets for commercial reasons. It said the vaccine was no longer being manufactured or supplied, having been superseded by updated vaccines that tackle new variants. 

AstraZeneca has come under intense scrutiny over recent months over evidence that their version of the COVID-19 vaccine, known as Vaxzevria, has caused dozens of cases of Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS), leading to at least 81 deaths. Around 50 victims and grieving relatives are also suing the company as a result. 

In a statement on Tuesday, AstraZeneca defended its record and insisted they were "incredibly proud of the role Vaxzevria played in ending the global pandemic."

According to independent estimates, over 6.5 million lives were saved in the first year of use alone and over three billion doses were supplied globally. Our efforts have been recognised by governments around the world and are widely regarded as being a critical component of ending the global pandemic.

The move will come as a victory for anti-vaccine campaigners, millions of whom have warned about dangerous side effects associated with the COVID jabs. It will also inevitably damage the credibility of the scientific establishment, which has repeatedly insisted that the vaccines are both safe and effective despite the fact that they did not prevent transmission of the COVID-19 virus.