AstraZeneca faces up to £255million compensation bill for 'defective' Covid vaccine after pharma titan admitted it DOES cause ultra-rare blood clot side effect - as wife of victim says 'we're not going to give up'

More than £250million could beryllium fixed to victims allegedly harmed by AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine, MailOnline tin uncover today.

Fifty-one families are pursuing ineligible action against nan pharmaceutical titan, arguing nan 'defective' jab was to blasted for their injuries and deaths of loved ones.

Lawyers progressive successful nan immense ineligible conflict deliberation immoderate victims could beryllium successful statement for pay-outs worthy up to £5million. 

As such, nan full compensation measure – which would beryllium footed by taxpayers because of a woody AstraZeneca struck pinch nan Government earlier nan roll-out commenced – could theoretically scope £255m, if judges were to norm nan vaccine was to blasted for each of nan injuries and deaths progressive successful nan people action.

However, claims person yet to beryllium afloat quantified and immoderate cases could eclipse aliases autumn overmuch short of nan estimated £5million. 

Some mightiness not beryllium proven to beryllium down to nan vaccine, which was fixed to millions of Britons. Deadly broadside effects were extraordinarily rare. 

The revelation astatine nan imaginable compensation measure comes aft AstraZeneca admitted – for nan first clip – that its vaccine could origin a humor clotting syndrome linked to immoderate of nan lawsuits.

Cambridge-based AstraZeneca, which is contesting nan ineligible battle, acknowledged successful a ineligible archive submitted to nan High Court successful February that its vaccine 'can, successful very uncommon cases, origin TTS'.

TTS is short for thrombosis pinch thrombocytopenia syndrome – a aesculapian information wherever a personification suffers humor clots on pinch a debased platelet count. Platelets typically thief nan humor to clot.

AstraZeneca's admittance could lead to pay-outs connected a case-by-case basis.

One of those seeking compensation is for injuries linked to AstraZeneca's vaccine is father-of-two and IT technologist Jamie Scott.

He was near pinch a imperishable encephalon wounded pursuing a humor clot and nan bleed connected nan encephalon aft getting nan vaccine successful April 2021. He has been incapable to activity since. 

His woman Kate told The Telegraph: 'The aesculapian world has acknowledged for a agelong clip that VITT was caused by nan vaccine. 

'It’s only AstraZeneca who person questioned whether Jamie’s information was caused by nan jab. 

'I dream their admittance intends we will beryllium capable to benignant this retired sooner alternatively than later.

'We request an apology, adjacent compensation for our family and different families who person been affected. 

'We person nan truth connected our side, and we are not going to springiness up.'

TTS, aliases vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT), is thought to beryllium linked to astatine slightest 81 deaths successful nan UK. 

Not each are proven, however. And not each family is seeking ineligible action. 

The complication is exceedingly rare, fixed nan millions of doses dished retired during nan roll-out. 

Taxpayers will ft nan measure of immoderate imaginable colony because of an indemnity woody AstraZeneca struck pinch nan Government successful nan darkest days of Covid to get nan jabs produced arsenic quickly arsenic imaginable while nan state was paralysed by lockdowns. 

It comes conscionable days aft nan patient reported a gross exceeding £10billion successful nan first 4th of 2024, a emergence of 19 per cent. Company officials stated it had enjoyed a 'very beardown start' to nan year. 

AstraZeneca said successful a statement: 'Our sympathy goes retired to anyone who has mislaid loved ones aliases reported wellness problems. 

'Patient information is our highest priority, and regulatory authorities person clear and stringent standards to guarantee nan safe usage of each medicines, including vaccines.

'From nan assemblage of grounds successful objective tests and real-world data, nan AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine has continuously been shown to person an acceptable information floor plan and regulators astir nan world consistently authorities that nan benefits of vaccination outweigh nan risks of highly uncommon imaginable broadside effects.'

The caller documents submitted to nan tribunal marks a alteration of connection from nan erstwhile AstraZeneca submissions made past year, erstwhile it claimed that TSS couldn't beryllium caused by its jab 'at a generic level'.

Its caller submission besides adds that nan trigger that causes immoderate group to suffer TSS from the AstraZeneca jab is chartless and tin besides hap successful group independent of immoderate vaccine.

It claims: 'Causation successful immoderate individual lawsuit will beryllium a matter for master evidence.' 

Similar action to that being taken by British families is understood to beryllium underway successful different countries wherever nan AstraZeneca jab was deployed, including successful Germany and Italy. 

AstraZeneca denies its caller submission represents a U-turn on acknowledging its jab tin origin TTS successful tribunal documents.

Lawyers representing victims and families are suing AstraZeneca nether nan Consumer Protection Act 1987.

They reason nan vaccine was 'a defective product' that was 'not arsenic safe arsenic consumers mostly were reasonably entitled to expect'. AstraZeneca has powerfully denied these claims. 

Health officials first identified cases of VITT linked to AstraZeneca's jab successful Europe arsenic early arsenic March 2021, conscionable complete 2 months aft nan vaccine was first deployed successful nan UK. 

However, it wasn't until April that twelvemonth that grounds became clear capable that nan jab started to beryllium restricted.

Spooked officials first restricted nan jab to only group complete 30. They past narrowed this to only over-40s in May 2021.

As nan vaccine still worked against Covid, it was still deemed worthy giving to older Brits who were astatine greater consequence of decease aliases wounded from falling sick pinch nan virus.

About 50million doses of nan AstraZeneca jab were dished retired successful nan UK successful total.

Official information shows astatine least 81 Brits person died from humor clot complications apparently linked to nan AstraZeneca jab, according to figures collected by nan UK's supplier watchdog, nan Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

A further unconfirmed number person been injured and/or disabled. 

Further Covid vaccine rollouts person either minimised usage of nan AstraZeneca jab and/or phased it retired wholly successful favour of mRNA alternatives for illustration those made by rival pharma giants Pfizer and Moderna. 

With wellness officials not ordering immoderate much doses, this efficaciously intends nan jab has each but been withdrawn successful nan UK. 

The consequence of TTS pursuing AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine is thought to beryllium successful nan region of 1 successful 50,000. 

However, AstraZeneca's jab is credited pinch redeeming immoderate 6million lives globally during nan Covid pandemic. 

Victims and families seeking compensation that MailOnline has spoken to staunchly insist they judge successful nan merits of vaccination for nationalist good and aren't anti-vaxxers. 

The reasons why group are taking ineligible action are complex.

Some who are severely abnormal are facing immense ongoing aesculapian costs arsenic good arsenic being retired of work. In immoderate cases, their family members are besides having to discontinue employment to supply them round-the-clock care. 

Others are, astatine slightest successful part, pursuing nan action arsenic measurement of seeking justness for either those they person mislaid aliases lives that person been wholly upturned by their injuries. 

Part of nan logic immoderate are seeking action is owed to what critics person labelled arsenic nan inadequate aliases arbitrary quality of nan Government's vaccine harm costs scheme.

This policy, which has been astir since nan 70s, offers people, aliases their families, a tax-free sum of £120,000, though restrictions apply.

It is only disposable to nan family of those who died or those near 'severely disabled' — defined arsenic being astatine slightest 60 per cent disabled, based connected grounds from a expert — because of a vaccine.

Established backmost successful 1979, nan strategy is meant to reassure group that, successful nan improbable arena thing goes wrong, nan authorities will supply support.

In theory, it is meant to combat vaccine hesitancy and promote nan nationalist to get jabbed from various pathogens helping protect nan federation from disease.

But critics person said nan strategy is arduous, stingy successful position of full magnitude payout, and sadistic successful its 60 per cent disablement period that leaves group little severely injured pinch nothing. 

As it is not compensation, group who return nan costs are still entitled to return ineligible action against a vaccine shaper if they choose, arsenic immoderate group affected by nan AstraZeneca jab are. 

Campaigners dream nan attraction brought by nan AstraZeneca lawsuit will spark a much-needed rethink of really nan nation's vaccine injured and bereaved are supported.

If Brits are near destitute from vaccine-derived injuries, experts fearfulness this will substance vaccine hesitancy successful nan future, risking nationalist wellness from a assortment of preventable diseases.

It could besides time off group susceptible to a imaginable early pandemic from a caller microorganism if immoderate garbage nan jabs retired of fearfulness that they, aliases their families, could beryllium near financially ruined if thing goes wrong.

Mrs Scott is 1 of critics of nan system, antecedently saying: 'Even if we do get nan £120,000 payment, it's not capable to support america going for ever. And it's insulting, considering what Jamie has been through,' she said. 

Another of those pursuing action against AstraZeneca is Melle Stewart, an Australian character who sewage nan company's Covid jab while surviving successful nan UK. 

In February 2020, conscionable weeks earlier Covid ripped crossed nan globe, Melle Stewart was enjoying opinionated ovations successful Belfast for her domiciled successful nan philharmonic 'Kiss Me, Kate'.

But aft suffering a devastating changeable nan 42-year-old struggles to put a condemnation together, speaking only slowly, and 'grieving' for nan successful shape profession she has lost.

Ms Stewart is taking AstraZeneca to court, pinch hubby Ben Lewis saying they felt misled by nan Government complete nan jab's safety.

Though having suffered greatly, she was and continues to beryllium a 'staunch and proud' advocator for vaccination, having gone connected to person different non-AstraZeneca Covid vaccines since her injury.