The Swedish-British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca has withdrawn the EU market authorization for its Corona vaccine Vaxzevria. This step, which was already announced in March, officially took effect on Tuesday. According to company information, the withdrawal was due to commercial reasons because of the decreasing demand for the vaccine.

Since the end of the pandemic and the development of several new Covid-19 vaccine variants, demand for Vaxzevria has declined, AstraZeneca explained. The vaccine is no longer being produced or supplied. However, the company stressed that it is proud of the role Vaxzevria played in combating the global pandemic.

The EU Commission confirmed that the decision to withdraw the authorization was not based on safety or efficacy concerns. It is not uncommon for pharmaceutical companies to withdraw market authorization for drugs or vaccines for commercial reasons.