COVID-19 vaccines and medicines: updates for March 2021

A summary of advice recently issued by the MHRA relating to coronavirus (COVID-19), up to 18 March 2021.

From:
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
Published
24 March 2021
Therapeutic area:
Immunology and vaccination

We previously included a summary of latest advice in the January 2021 and February 2021 issues of Drug Safety Update. Here we include a summary of key MHRA advice issued up to 18 March 2021 and since the publication of the February 2021 edition of Drug Safety Update.

In February 2021 we published the first summaries of the Yellow Card reporting for the COVID-19 vaccines being used in the UK. This report is being updated weekly. The data continues to confirm that the vast majority of reported side effects are mild and short-lasting, reflecting a normal immune response to vaccines – including a sore arm and fatigue.

The report summarises information received via the Yellow Card scheme and will be published regularly to include other safety investigations carried out by the MHRA under the COVID-19 Vaccine Surveillance Strategy.

The MHRA encourages anyone to report any suspicion or concern they have beyond the known, mild side effects on the Coronavirus Yellow Card reporting site.

We have also recently:

  • released a statement on 18 March about the COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca and venous thromboembolism following a rigorous scientific review of all the available data

  • updated the information leaflets for the AstraZeneca and Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines to provide a more detailed description of the “flu like illness”. These types of reactions reflect the acute immune response triggered by the body to the vaccines, are typically seen with most types of vaccine and tend to resolve within a day or two. If other COVID symptoms are experienced or fever is high and lasts longer than 2 or 3 days, vaccine recipients should stay at home and arrange to have a test

  • published the Public Assessment Report for the COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna

See guidance on COVID-19 for all our latest information, including after publication of this article.

Article citation: Drug Safety Update volume 14, issue 8: March: 2.

Updates to this page

Published 24 March 2021