Italy's Democrats: Let's try for alternative to Salvini

Italy's Democrats, Parliament's largest opposition force, say it's worth trying to form a new government to shut out the right, led by euroskeptic nationalist Matteo Salvini.

Salvini yanked his League party's support from Premier Giuseppe Conte's populist government, triggering its collapse earlier this week and leaving President Sergio Mattarella with the crucial task of deciding whether to declare the end of the legislature, forcing elections 3½ years early.

Democratic Party chief Nicola Zingaretti stressed after meeting Thursday with Mattarella that any such new coalition must have Parliament's durable, broad backing and cannot come "at any cost." Otherwise, says Zingaretti, national elections must be held.

A moment of the changing of the guard at the door of Italian President Sergio Mattarella, in Rome, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019. President Sergio Mattarella continued receiving political leaders Thursday, to explore if a solid majority with staying power exists in Parliament for a new government that could win the required confidence vote. (AP PhotoAlessandra Tarantino)

Any new coalition critically would need support from the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement, whose leaders meet with Mattarella later in the day.

Salvini is demanding new elections.

Democratic Party leader Nicola Zingaretti, center, leaves after meeting Italian President Sergio Mattarella, in Rome, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019. President Sergio Mattarella continued receiving political leaders Thursday, to explore if a solid majority with staying power exists in Parliament for a new government that could win the required confidence vote. (AP PhotoAlessandra Tarantino)

Democratic Party leader Nicola Zingaretti, center, talks to the press after meeting Italian President Sergio Mattarella, in Rome, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019. President Sergio Mattarella continued receiving political leaders Thursday, to explore if a solid majority with staying power exists in Parliament for a new government that could win the required confidence vote. At left is former premier Paolo Gentiloni, at right Andrea Marcucci. (AP PhotoAlessandra Tarantino)

Chairman of the Lower Chamber Roberto Fico leaves after meeting Italian President Sergio Mattarella, in Rome, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019. One day after Giuseppe Conte resigned as premier, President Sergio Mattarella started receiving political leaders to explore options for the way forward. (AP PhotoGregorio Borgia)

Me did representatives wait outside the office door of President Sergio Mattarella, in Rome, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019. One day after Giuseppe Conte resigned as premier, President Sergio Mattarella started receiving political leaders to explore options for the way forward. (AP PhotoGregorio Borgia)

LONDON (AP) — 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.

Partial results from its first major trial — which Britain used to authorize the vaccine — were clouded by a manufacturing mistake that researchers didn’t immediately acknowledge. Insufficient data about how well the vaccine protected older people led some countries to initially restrict its use to younger populations before reversing course.

Billions of doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine were distributed to poorer countries through a U.N.-coordinated program, as it was cheaper and easier to produce and distribute. But studies later suggested that the pricier messenger RNA vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna provided better protection against COVID-19 and its many variants, and most countries switched to those shots.

The U.K.'s national coronavirus immunization program in 2021 heavily relied on AstraZeneca's vaccine, which was largely developed by scientists at Oxford University with significant financial government support. But even Britain later resorted to buying the mRNA vaccines for its COVID booster vaccination programs and the AstraZeneca vaccine is now rarely used globally.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

FILE - Medical staff prepares an AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine during preparations at the vaccine center in Ebersberg near Munich, Germany, Monday, March 22, 2021. The pharma giant AstraZeneca has requested that its European authorization for its COVID vaccine be pulled, according to the EU medicines regulator on Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, FILE)