AstraZeneca COVID vaccine name changed to Vaxzevria

The AstraZeneca vaccine will now be called Vaxzevria after an application to rename it was approved by Australia’s medical regulator.

The company asked the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) to approve the rebrand, saying it would bring the name into line with what the vaccine is called in European countries and Canada.

There were concerns if the name was different in Australia it could lead to other countries not recognising the vaccine on vaccine passports when international travel resumes.

In a statement, the TGA said it hoped the change in name would make sure there would be no confusion in the future.

“This is expected to alleviate confusion and further clarify that the vaccine produced by CSL and Seqirus in Melbourne is the same as that produced internationally,” the statement said.

The new name is the only change to the vaccine, with manufacturing and quality control remaining the same.

Vials of the vaccine will still have AstraZeneca printed on them for now, but they will be replaced with new labels later this year.

In its own statement, AstraZeneca said people could expect to see both names for the next little while while the changeover took place.

It also made clear the vaccine, now Vaxzevria, is “a valid vaccination for travel to Europe” because it previously recieved emergency authorisation from the World Health Organization.

“AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine is the same product wherever it is made,” it said.

“All manufacturing around the world is conducted using the same stringent manufacturing process and each batch passes over 60 quality tests as part of our global robust quality assurance process.”

In Australia, just over eight million doses of the AstraZeneca, now Vaxzevria, have been administered.

As of Thursday, more than half of Australians aged over 16 have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine.

ABC