WHO alert on falsified AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine

08/11/2021

On 4 November 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) published, on its website, Alert No. 7/2021, related to the falsification of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, identified in the Islamic Republic of Iran in October 2021. The genuine manufacturer of AstraZeneca COVID-19 (ChAdOx1-S [recombinant]) vaccine has confirmed that the product is falsified. The falsified product was reported at the patient level outside authorized and regulated supply chains and authorized immunization programs in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The falsified products are illicitly refilled vials of used and discarded genuine COVID-19 AstraZeneca (ChAdOx1-S [recombinant]) vaccine. The metal cap on samples of these falsified products displays evidence of tampering, indicating the metal cap was removed in order to refill the vials, and later replaced onto the vial.

Below is a summary table of the falsified vaccine data, adapted from the information published by WHO in this Alert, along with images of the identified samples.  

Summary of information on WHO falsified vaccine Alert No. 7/2021

This alert is available at: https://www.who.int/news/item/04-11-2021-medical-product-alert-n-7-2021-falsified-covid-19vaccine-astrazeneca.

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