COVID-19 INQUIRY: AstraZeneca Claims TGA Made It Difficult to Counter Vaccine Hesitancy

Prime Minister Scott Morrison holds a vial of AstraZeneca vaccine Melbourne, Australia, on Feb. 12, 2021. David Caird/Pool/Getty Images

AstraZeneca has said the rollout of its COVID-19 vaccine was impacted by “public misperception,” and has blamed Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for preventing the pharmaceutical company from countering the “incorrect claims” about its vaccine.

The claim by AstraZeneca follows the publication of more than 2,000 submissions to the federal government’s COVID-19 Response Inquiry, in which a submission from the federal health department revealed that it moderated more than 50,000 comments each month at the height of the pandemic.

In its submission (pdf), AstraZeneca said the risks and benefits of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine were “not well understood by politicians, the mainstream media, or the general public.”

“The nuances in ATAGI’s (Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation) advice were quickly lost amongst the media and public commentators, with many interpreting the advice to say that there was a prohibition on the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for persons under 50, and then under 60, rather than a recommendation.

“Media reporting resulted in public confusion regarding vaccine eligibility and led to vaccine hesitancy amongst members of the public.”

ATAGI advises the minister for health and aged care on the medical administration of vaccines available in Australia, while the TGA is responsible for regulating the supply, import, export, manufacturing, and advertising of therapeutic goods.

In its submission, AstraZeneca was critiquing the TGA’s updated safety advisory following a case involving a 44-year-old man who was admitted to Box Hill Hospital with serious thrombosis after he received the AstraZeneca vaccine in April 2021.

In Australia, the rate of AstraZeneca-related thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) was estimated to be around 2 to 3 per 100,000 vaccinated people under 60 years of age, and 2 per 100,000 vaccinated people aged 60 years or older, according to the Department of Health and Aged Care.

Then Prime Minister Scott Morrison said: “The advice here today is not to not have the AstraZeneca vaccine—there is not a prohibition on the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for persons under 50.”

Instead, the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine was the preferred option for 16- to 50-year-olds.

AstraZeneca said that ATAGI had advised that “either vaccine was likely to be beneficial, and if the Pfizer vaccine was unavailable, it was preferable for people under 50 to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine.”

Pause in Vaccine Advertising

According to AstraZeneca, the health department paused advertising for the vaccine rollout on April 17, 2021.

On May 4, 2021, the federal government brought forward its rollout strategy to make it eligible for Australians over 50.

Then, on June 17, 2021, ATAGI advised that the COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccine was no longer the preferred option for 50- to 59-year-olds.

“At the time, TGA regulations made it difficult for AstraZeneca to publicly respond to media reports regarding adverse events and risks associated with the vaccine for the population groups which ATAGI recommended should receive the vaccine. Throughout this period, AstraZeneca responded to direct media enquiries,” AstraZeneca said.

“Confusion was partially the result of media and the public not sufficiently understanding that ATAGI acts in an advisory capacity. It’s not uncommon for there to be differences in clinical opinion between different clinical groups, such as between ATAGI and Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC).”

When asked about AstraZeneca’s claim, the TGA told The Epoch Times in an email that, as the inquiry is still ongoing, “it would not be appropriate for the Department to comment on individual submissions at this time.”

One in three Australian adults have received the AstraZeneca vaccine, equating to 13.8 million doses, the majority of which were manufactured locally in partnership with CSL in Melbourne, Australia.

Meanwhile, the Health Department said in its submission that more than 35 percent of vaccines were wasted as of January 2024 due to lower demand.

There has been an oversupply since mid-2022 after demand fell, with the department now trying to lower waste while ensuring the availability of the vaccines.

Monica O’Shea contributed to this report.