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US Woman Alleges AstraZeneca Left Her 'Permanently Disabled' In COVID-19 Vaccine Trials

An American woman who claims she was "permanently disabled" after taking part in the US clinical trial of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine is now suing the British drug-maker because they failed to provide her with medical care for her side effects. Read on to know all about her condition.

Ashima Sharda Mahindra

Updated May 15, 2024, 21:10 IST

Brianne, a former nursery schoolteacher says she began developing side effects, just hours after she was first injected with the vaccine

A 42-year-old American woman says she was ‘permanently disabled’ after taking part in the US clinical trial of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine. Utah resident Brianne Dressen is now suing the British pharmaceutical giant because she alleges the company did not cover her medical expenses.

Brianne says she was completely healthy when she began the trials in 2020 but ended up developing a severe neurological condition, her lawsuit alleges. “I walked into the clinic fine, and walked out the beginning of a nightmare I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy,” Dressen said, per the court papers.

What are Brianne’s symptoms?

Brianne, a former nursery schoolteacher says she began developing side effects, just hours after she was first injected with the vaccine. Apart from arm tingles, she also suffered severe headaches, blurred vision, ringing in her ears, and continuous nausea and vomiting, according to her court filing, as per the New York Post. The suit also claims she developed paresthesia - an abnormal skin sensation.

Brianne says she has been hospitalized many times and was detected with post-vaccine neuropathy by neurologists from the National Institutes of Health in 2021. Brianne is among 50 others who have filed lawsuits against AstraZeneca for failing to provide adequate compensation to cover the costs of the medical bills associated with the side effects. She says despite signing a consent form

She claims she had signed a consent form with the manufacturer at the beginning of the trial and AstraZeneca said they would pay the costs of medical treatment for research injuries, but she received only a one-time payment of $1,243.30. “I did everything they asked of me. I honored my obligations to them. They have not honored any,” Dressen said. “When they needed me, I was there, I cooperated. When I needed them, they were nowhere to be found.”

What does AstraZeneca say?

So far, AstraZeneca has not commented on the issue. However, her lawsuit comes as the vaccine maker admitted in court that their COVID-19 vaccine can cause rare side effects that can lead to blood clots and low platelet count.

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