Japan on Aug. 26 announced the suspension of about 1.63 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine due to reports of contamination.
The country’s health ministry said “foreign materials” were found in at least 390 doses—or 39 vials—of the Moderna vaccine, coming from eight vaccination sites, according to The Asahi Shimbun.
Takeda Pharmaceutical, a Japanese drugmaker distributing the Moderna vaccines in Japan, had received reports of contamination from multiple vaccination sites. The health ministry subsequently learned about the matter on Aug. 25, reported the outlet.
A ministry official was reported by Nikkei Asia as saying, “It’s a substance that reacts to magnets … it could be metal.”
The reports of contamination involve a batch that has a total of 565,400 doses. The ministry said that it decided to suspend the lot as a precaution after it consulted with Takeda. It also suspended another two batches.
The three batches altogether contain 1.63 million vaccine doses, which have been distributed to 863 vaccination centers across the country. The ministry will request the centers not to use them.
Officials said that an unknown number of doses in the affected lot have been administered but there have been no reported adverse effects so far.
Takeda said in a statement that it had asked Moderna to investigate the safety of the vaccine as a matter of emergency. It also shared the batch numbers, which are 3004667, 3004734, and 3004956.
“Moderna confirms having been notified of cases of particulate matter being seen in drug product vials of its COVID-19 vaccine,” Moderna said in a statement. “The company is investigating the reports and remains committed to working expeditiously with its partner, Takeda, and regulators to address this.”
The health ministry said that all the vaccines currently being rolled out in Japan are manufactured by a company based in Spain.
It was not immediately clear whether the issue impacted supplies of the Moderna vaccine to other countries.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said that the Japanese government is discussing with Takeda ways to minimize the impact on the country’s vaccination rollout.
“We will do [our] utmost in order to avoid any impact on vaccination progress, especially at worksites and large-scale centers,” he said.
About 43 percent of the population in Japan have been fully vaccinated. About 50 percent have received at least one dose.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
From The Epoch Times
