Japan halts the use of 1.63 million doses of Moderna’s Covid vaccine after reports of contamination in several batches. This was announced by the drug manufacturer Takeda and the Ministry of Health. Takeda, the sales and distribution manager of Moderna in Japan, said it had “received reports from several vaccination centers that foreign substances were found in unopened vials of specific batches.”
Takeda specified: “After consultation with the Ministry of Health, we have decided to suspend the use of the vaccine from the batch from 26 August”. The company said it informed Moderna and “requested an urgent investigation”. The pharmaceutical company has not yet responded to a request for comment on the matter. Takeda did not provide details on the nature of the contamination, but said it has not received any reports of health problems resulting from the affected doses so far.
Japan’s health ministry said it will work with Takeda to secure alternative doses to avoid disruption to the country’s vaccine program, which has increased after a slow start. About 43% of the Japanese population has currently completed the vaccination course, but the country is battling a record wave of virus cases due to the Delta variant. About 15,500 people have died of Covid-19 in the country during the pandemic and much of Japan is subject to restrictions related to the virus.