US Woman Sues AstraZeneca Over Vaccine, Says She's "Permanently Disabled"

An American woman who claims she was "permanently disabled" after taking part in the US clinical trial of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine is suing the drug maker because they failed to provide her with medical care for her side effects. According to the Telegraph, Brianne Dressen, 42, filed the lawsuit against AstraZeneca in Utah, in which she claims that she developed a severe neurological condition after taking part in a vaccine trial in 2020. In the court filing, the former teacher said that she developed side effects just hours after being injected with the vaccine. 

Ms Dressen's lawsuit is thought to be the first of its kind in the United States, where the AstraZeneca vaccine was tested in clinical trials but never approved for use, the Telegraph reported. In the court papers, the 42-year-old claimed she signed an agreement with the British drugmaker that promised it would "pay the costs of medical treatment for research injuries, provided that the costs are reasonable, and you did not cause the injury yourself".  

However, Ms Dressen said when she experienced a severe sensation of pins and needles across her body shortly after she received the jab in November 2020, AstraZeneca did not cover the cost of her medical care. Speaking to the outlet, she stated that she had been left unable to work after being diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy - a condition that causes numbness and pain due to damaged nerves. Her condition was classified as "post-vaccine neuropathy" because of its link to the jab, the outlet reported. 

"This thing took me out of my job - I'm still permanently disabled," Ms Dressen said. "I still have that horrific nightmare of the pins and needles sensation coursing through my body, head to toe, 24 hours a day, seven days a week," she added. 

Also Read | Couple Allege Daughter Died After Taking Covishield, To Sue AstraZeneca

Further, the 42-year-old said that after being hospitalised several times following the vaccination, her medical bills had run into thousands of dollars. However, she refused a small payout from AstraZeneca as that would have limited its liability in any lawsuit. 

In her complaint, Ms Dressen said she had become "a shadow of her former self: unable to work, unable to do any athletic activity, unable to parent the way she had, and unable to drive more than a few blocks at a time". 

AstraZeneca is yet to comment on this matter. 

Notably, Ms Dressen's lawsuit comes after the British pharma giant admitted in court that their COVID-19 vaccine can cause rare side effects that can lead to blood clots and low platelet count. More than 50 people already filed a class action lawsuit against the drug maker in the UK. The company asked the European Union to withdraw authorisation for its vaccine in its member states last week. The vaccine maker also initiated a global withdrawal because of commercial reasons due to a "surplus of available updated vaccines" for COVID-19.