Impurity found in Japan in Moderna vaccine turned out to be stainless steel

The unknown impurity that caused three batches of Moderna vaccine to be recalled in Japan turned out to be stainless steel. About it informs Reuters citing a joint statement by Moderna and the Japanese company Takeda, which sells and distributes the vaccine in the country.

Japanese authorities last week suspended the use of 1.63 million doses of the vaccine after it was identified as contaminated.

The Japanese Ministry of Health reported that black and pink particles of an unknown substance were found in the syringes and vial.

The study found that due to a defect during the assembly of production equipment, stainless steel debris was mixed with the drug.

It is noted that this stainless steel is used in medical devices such as pacemakers, dental implants, artificial joints, metal sutures – so the injection of its particles will probably not lead to an increased risk.

An impurity in one of the lots of Moderna vaccine in Japan was discovered at the end of August – a foreign substance was found in 39 ampoules of unused preparations. By that time, up to half a million people could receive injections of the vaccine from this batch.

The Japanese Ministry of Health announced on August 28 that two people have died after being vaccinated against COVID-19 using the Moderna vaccine. The deceased men were about 30 years old. Their death occurred a few days after the drug was administered. At first, both patients developed a fever, and two days later they died.

For vaccinations in these cases, vaccines from three batches were used, on the use of which the Japanese authorities imposed a temporary ban.

More than 124 million coronavirus vaccinations have been made in Japan. 44% of the population is already fully vaccinated. As of August 8, 991 people have died in the country after being given the Pfizer vaccine and 11 after being vaccinated with Moderna products. However, no direct link has been established between vaccination and patient deaths.