Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine can set off this nerve disorder, says European Medicines Agency
The nerve disorder is listed in the lowest occurrence category of possible side-effects of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine, as “very rare."
The medicine watchdog of Europe has added a rare nerve disorder, called the Guillain-Barré syndrome, to the list of possible side-effects of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine.
As per the European Medicines Agency’s regular safety updates, there is "at least a reasonable possibility" of a causal link between the rare nerve disorder and the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine. Known as Vaxzevria in the EU, a version of the AstraZeneca vaccine is made and administered in India as Covishield.
As per EMA, 833 reported cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome were reported by July 31, from 592 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine administered globally.
However, the nerve disorder, as a possible side-effect of AstraZeneca vaccine, has been categorized in the lowest occurrence category of side-effects, as “very rare”. The agency stressed that the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks.
In similar side-effect news, the Guillain-Barré syndrome was also added as a possible side-effect for another vaccine, the Johnson & Johnson jab, by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Both Oxford AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines use the same ‘viral vector technology’. Both vaccines have also been linked to rare blood clots.