Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare suspended the use of more than 1.6 million doses of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine Thursday following reports of contaminated vials at multiple vaccination sites in the country.
Takeda Pharmaceuticals, which distributes the Moderna vaccine in Japan, said it notified the ministry after several vaccination sites reported an undetermined foreign object found in one specific lot.
“We requested that Moderna, the product owner and manufacturer, conduct a thorough investigation to determine the precise root cause of the issue,” Takeda said in a statement.
Takeda also said that it is not aware of any “significant safety concerns” stemming from the contaminated doses.
Moderna said it’s been notified of the problem and is looking into it.
