Three cases of a rare disorder affecting the blood’s ability to clot have been reported among recipients of Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine and are being investigated, French health authorities said on Friday.
The cases of hemophilia were all in people over the age of 75, the ANSM Medicines Agency said.
The cases are France’s first such incidences of hemophilia potentially linked to the Pfizer/BioNTech jab, the regulator said, in its latest pharmacovigilance report on the US-German vaccine for April 30 to May 13.
“This very rare effect does not call into question the benefit/risk ratio of the vaccine,” the agency added.As of May 13, some 20,964,000 doses of the jab had been administered across the country, according to official data.
People with hemophilia have insufficient blood-clotting proteins, which combine with blood platelets to clot the blood. Hemophiliacs can, therefore, bleed for longer than usual.
The condition’s incidence among the general population is extremely rare, with only around 1-1.5 cases per million people annually, French health officials said.
Hemophilia has not been listed as a side effect of the Pfizer vaccine by drug regulators, who have approved the jab.
However, the US Food and Drug Administration advises recipients to tell a doctor prior to vaccination if they have a bleeding disorder or are on a blood thinner.
Rare cases of allergic reactions have occurred in people vaccinated with Pfizer’s vaccine, including a very small number of cases of anaphylaxis, the EU’s drug regulator, the European Medicines Agency, has said.
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