Keeping tabs on Covid-19: EMA say AstraZeneca vaccine outweighs risks and zero-emissions vehicle makes vaccines more accessible

EMA continues to endorse AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine despite claimed links to blood clots

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has backed the safety of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine despite concerns that patients with low blood platelets could develop blood clots.

Following the EMA’s preliminary review, the regulatory agency released a statement confirming: “The benefits of the vaccine in combating the still widespread threat of Covid-19 (which itself results in clotting problems and may be fatal) continue to outweigh the risk of side effects.”

The results of EMA’s review found that the vaccine is not associated to increase in the overall risk of developing blood clots and there is no evidence of a problem relating to a specific batch or manufacturing site, however, there may be an increased risk of blood clots developing in patients with thrombocytopenia (i.e., low levels of blood platelets).

“These are rare cases – around 20 million people in the UK and European Economic Area that received the vaccine as of March 16 and EMA had reviewed only seven cases of blood clots in multiple blood vessels and 18 cases of clots in the vessels draining blood from the brain. A causal link with the vaccine is not proven, but is possible and deserves further analysis,” the EMA reported.

The EMA are undertaking additional reviews of associated risks with other Covid-19 vaccines that have been approved for use including, the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine and the Moderna vaccine, although no risks has been identified from monitoring so far.

The EMA maintain close safety monitoring of reports of blood clotting disorders will continue and further studies are being instituted to provide more laboratory data as well as real-world evidence.

Electric vaccine vehicle used to expand access to Covid-19 vaccination and testing

AYRO, an electric vehicle manufacturer, and Element, a fleet management solution provider, has launched the Electric Vaccine Vehicle (EVV), designed to mobilize a flexible, safe and efficient means of delivering Covid-19 vaccines and testing facilities to patients.

The design of AYRO’s vaccine vehicle has been inspired from the company’s existing food service vehicle that encompasses an all-electric and zero-emission transportation solution that can store and deliver temperature-sensitive products to people safely.

“We have partnered with community healthcare systems to make safe and rapid Covid-19 testing and vaccine distribution possible by reaching patients in need and managing demand at aggregation centers,” said AYRO.

EVV is reported to help reduce wait times at central distribution locations by meeting patients at local destination centers. The company are aiming to configure EVV as a street-legal vehicle, so it can serve wider populations who are unable to get to vaccination sites because they do not have access to transportation, including millions of high-risk older adults and low-income households.

Rod Keller, CEO or AYRO, said: “Covid-19 testing and vaccine distribution has become a serious logistical challenge and our purpose-built EVVs offers a potential solution.

“Throughout the pandemic, we’ve been working with our partners to design customizable electric vehicles (EVs) for food delivery on college campuses in lieu of crowded dining halls. We quickly realized that experience designing EVs with hot and cold storage and hygiene precautions translated well to mobile vaccination vehicle design. The EVV can go virtually anywhere – within buildings or throughout cities and parking lots – potentially bringing millions of vaccines to patients.”

Explore four trends influencing the success of the pharma industry in the new normal following the initial disruptions from the Covid-19 pandemic inside MasterControl’s report.