Former American teacher part of Covid-19 vaccine trial sues AstraZeneca, claims permanent disability – The Indian Express

Weeks after pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca admitted to rare side effects from its Covid-19 vaccine, an American woman, who had taken part in the clinical trials of the coronavirus shot, has sued the English pharmaceutical giant claiming that it had left her permanently disabled.

According to a report by The Telegraph,Brianne Dressen, a 42 year-old former American teacher from Utah, is first from the US to file a lawsuit against the company. In the UK, more than 50 people have filed a case against the corporation as multiple cases of rare and serious conditions were registered post taking the jab.

Last week, AstraZeneca voluntarily withdrew from the marketing authorisation of the COVID vaccine in EU. This came in action after the giant accepted that the vaccine can cause rare side effects to the human body in the court documents.

Ms Dressen mentioned that post the trial in 2020 she came down with a severe neurological condition which left her experiencing pricking pain all over her body.

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Speaking to Telegraph she stated that she was diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy and the her condition was considered as a "post-vaccine neuropathy".

This thing took me out of my job Im still permanently disabled,, she exclaimed.

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.

Her complaint in the court further described that 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"

In a chat thread on X(formerly twitter), Dressen shed light on what her current medication prevailed and how her 11 year-old son helped her set it up.

She mentioned that the conglomerate had signed an agreement with her stating they will "pay the costs of medical treatment for research injuries, provided that the costs are reasonable, and you did not cause the injury yourself". However, the case comes to light after the court papers were filed on May 12 where the company did not adhere to the promises made.

From the body of evidence in clinical trials and real-world data, the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine has continuously been shown to have an acceptable safety profile and regulators around the world consistently state that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks of extremely rare potential side effects, stated an AstraZeneca spokesperson through an email communication on May 13.

Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports journal in 2023 published a finding greater than expected occurrence of severe neurological adverse events following different kinds of Covid-19 vaccination. However, they said that the evidence was not too strong for the withdrawal of the vaccine.

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Ms Dressen has filed the case in Utah court which allows the complainant to incur amount for breach and damages. While she hasn't specified any amount, she holds the legally binding bills of tens of thousands of dollars for medical care that she had to take care of. Ms Dressen in a X (formerly twitter) post mentioned that the company offered $1200 as a settlement.

In addition, Dressen mentioned that the biggest impact of this condition was on her children who are aged nine and eleven.

They dont remember who I was before, already, she added.

Apart from the breach of contract she is also suing the company for emotional distress, legal fees and lost income.

Hindsight is 20:20, but at the time, I really genuinely believed that this would be like our generations moment to show how we can overcome adversity. I really did. she exclaimed.

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Former American teacher part of Covid-19 vaccine trial sues AstraZeneca, claims permanent disability - The Indian Express