AstraZeneca vaccine renamed ‘Vaxzevria’

Astrazeneka
JOEL SAGET / AFP

The anti-coronavirus vaccine produced by the AstraZeneca pharmaceutical company is now called Vaxzevria, the Swedish medicine agency Läkemedelsverket said on Tuesday, based on data from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the Brussels Times has reported.

The vaccine produced by the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company has been the topic of discussion several times since it received the green light from the EMA in late January.

On March 18, the EMA again said the vaccine was safe and effective and that the benefits outweigh the possible risks, but is still investigating the matter.

A week later, it approved the name change on the company’s request.

The vaccine itself remained unchanged, but the Swedish agency thought a new name, accompanied by other things, such as new labelling and packaging, was important.