Japan will halt the use of 1.63 million doses of Moderna's Covid vaccine after reports of contamination in several vials, drugmaker Takeda and the health ministry said.
Takeda, which is in charge of sales and distribution of the Moderna shot in Japan, said it had "received reports from several vaccination centres that foreign substances have been found inside unopened vials." "Upon consultation with the health ministry, we have decided to suspend the use of the vaccine" from three whole batches from today, it added.
The firm said it had informed Moderna and "requested an urgent investigation." Takeda did not detail the nature of the contamination, but said it had not so far received any reports of health concerns arising from affected