Business news in brief
By The Associated Press
AstraZeneca pulls its COVID vaccine from European market
LONDON | The pharma giant AstraZeneca has requested that the European authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine be pulled, according to the EU medicines regulator.
In an update on the European Medicines Agency’s website Wednesday, the regulator said that the approval for AstraZeneca’s Vaxzevria had been withdrawn “at the request of the marketing authorization holder.”
AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine was first given the nod by the EMA in January 2021. Within weeks, however, concerns grew about the vaccine’s safety, when dozens of countries suspended the vaccine’s use after unusual but rare blood clots were detected in a small number of immunized people. The EU regulator concluded AstraZeneca’s shot didn’t raise the overall risk of clots, but doubts remained.
Panera to stop serving ‘Charged Sips’ drinks
Panera Bread said it’s discontinuing its Charged Sips drinks that were tied to at least two wrongful death lawsuits due to their high caffeine content.
Panera didn’t say Tuesday whether the drinks were being discontinued because of the lawsuits or health concerns. It also wouldn’t comment on the timeline for removing them from stores.
The St. Louis-based company introduced Charged Sips in the spring of 2022. In the fall of 2023, Panera was sued by the families of two people with heart conditions who died after drinking Charged Lemonades at Panera. The families say Panera didn’t properly warn customers that the drinks contained so much caffeine.
Electricity from clean sources reaches 30% of global total
A record 30% of global electricity was generated from renewables in 2023, according to a report released by Ember, a think tank based in London.
Solar was the main factor in adding clean energy to the global electricity grid.
Ember predicted 2023 was likely the peak of fossil fuel electricity generation for the world and for and greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector.
Demand for electricity is expected to increase this year, but there will be even more clean energy installed.
—From AP reports
