Moderna says COVID vaccines shipped to Japan contain steel

Moderna said today that batches of its vaccine against… Corona Virus The items shipped to Japan contained stainless steel particles and did not expect this to pose an “undue risk to patient safety”.

The US laboratory is facing major setbacks in Japan, which suspended more than 1.6 million doses of Moderna’s vaccine after discovering foreign substances.

Authorities are also investigating the deaths of two men who received doses from a contaminated batch, although the cause of death is currently unknown.

In a joint statement with its Japanese partner, Takeda, Moderna said contamination in one of the three suspended batches indicated a production line failure at a plant operated by Spanish contractor, ROVI Pharma Industrial Services.

“The rare presence of stainless steel particles in a modern Covid-19 vaccine does not pose an undue risk to patient safety and does not adversely affect the product’s risk/benefit profile,” the statement said.

He added that the metal particles injected into the muscle could cause a localized reaction, but it was unlikely to cause anything else.

“Stainless steel is commonly used in heart valves, prosthetics, sutures, and metal staples. As such, injecting specific particles into these pieces in Japan should not lead to increased medical risks,” he said.

Moderna added that at present there is no evidence that the two deaths were related to the vaccine and “at the moment it is considered a coincidence.” Investigation is underway.

About 46% of Japan’s population has been fully immunized against the coronavirus, at a time when the country is experiencing a record increase in coronavirus infections. delta variablemore contagious.

The pandemic has killed about 16,000 in Japan, imposing strict restrictions in large parts of the country.

ia / sst / yow / lda / ap / mvv