Japan takes another vial of COVID - 19 vaccine contamination

TOKYO, 1 Sept - 1 - 6 - Sept - 1 - September : Japan's Kanagawa prefecture reported it found another vial of Moderna Inc's COVID - 19 vaccine suspected of containing a foreign substance.

In a statement on Tuesday, prefectural authorities said a pharmacist found several foreign particles in one vial upon checking for black substances before the vaccine's use.

Has Japan suspended the use of 1.63 million doses https: www.reuters.com/. com World Asia Pacific Japan-withdraws - 16 + mln-moderna - covid - 19 -- vaccine-doses - over contamination - nikkei - 2021 -- 08 -- 25 shots of Moderna shots last week after being notified of contamination in some of the supply. Moderna pharma company Rovi bottles Moderna vaccines, which have said the cause could be a manufacturing issue and European safety regulators launched an investigation.

Moderna says no safety or efficacy issues had been identified from the issue.

Kanagawa prefecture said the vaccine's domestic distributor, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd, had collected the vial with suspected contaminant and that about 3,790 people had already received shots from the same lot.

More Moderna shots were temporarily paused in two parts of Japan this week for what appears to be a separate issue with bits of the vials' rubber stopper breaking off https: www.reuters.com/travel. com world asia-pacific japan-health - minister-says - okinawa-vaccine - contaminants-likely - needle-stick - 2021 - 08 - 31 when needles are incorrectly inserted. Reporting by Christopher Cushing; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim.