Moderna says Covid-19 vaccine contaminant in Japan was stainless steel, sees no safety issues

Moderna and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. reported preliminary results of their investigations after Japan last week recalled three lots of Moderna’s vaccine, totaling 1.63 million doses, citing unspecified contamination.

The companies said stainless steel got into the vaccine vials because metal parts were improperly installed on a production line at Moderna’s contract facility in Spain. He added that the material is routinely used in heart valve and joint replacements and “does not pose an unreasonable risk to patient safety.” He added that it would also not affect vaccine efficacy.

The companies said the issue affected only three lots recalled by Japan. Japanese officials said contamination was found in one of three lots and the remaining two were pulled as a precaution because they were manufactured at the same time on the same production line.

The government said 500,000 doses were administered in three of those lots. Two men in their 30s recently died days after receiving a second dose from one of two lots that reported no contamination but were pulled as a precaution.

Moderna and Takeda said there was no evidence the vaccine was linked to deaths. He said the relationship is believed to be a coincidence but an investigation is on.

Most of Japan’s vaccine supply comes from Pfizer Inc., but Moderna’s vaccine has been used in large-scale centers run by the government and large employers. Currently 46% of the country’s 126 million people have been fully vaccinated.

Following last week’s recall, additional reports of contamination in Moderna Vaccines emerged. The government said this was due to rubber fragments from the vial’s rubber stopper and that it kept many in use, adding that the contents were unlikely to affect safety even when injected into the body.

This story has been published without modification to the text from a wire agency feed