AstraZeneca has renamed its Covid-19 vaccine, a move that coincides with the company’s struggle to reassure the public that its drug is safe, following numerous reports of potential adverse effects.
The British-Swedish pharmaceutical has rebranded its jab, which previously went by the simple ‘AstraZeneca Covid-19 Vaccine’, to ‘Vaxzevria’. In a press release, the company said that the name change does not involve any alterations to the actual drug. Medical workers should be made aware of the rebrand though, the firm said, because the labeling and packaging can look different.
The European Medicines Agency signed off on the new name last week after AstraZeneca sought approval for the change from the EU regulator. Covishield, which is based on the same formula but was developed in collaboration with the Serum Institute of India, will retain its current branding.

However, it’s not clear whether the ‘Vaxzevria’ name change was motivated by the bad publicity, as the trademark application for the drug dates back to December. (RT)