Japan finds another bottle of Moderna that is suspected to contain foreign substances

TOKYO, Sept. 1 (Reuters) – Japan’s Kanagawa prefecture said it has found another vial of Moderna Inc.’s COVID-19 vaccine (MRNA.O) suspected of containing a foreign substance and has put the rest of the batch in suspense.

In a statement Tuesday, prefectural authorities said a pharmacist found several black particles in a vial when checking for foreign substances before using the vaccine.

Japan suspended the use of 1.63 million doses of Moderna shots last week after receiving a notification of contamination in some supplies. Moderna and the Spanish pharmaceutical company Rovi (ROVI.MC), which package Moderna vaccines, have said the cause could be a manufacturing problem and European safety regulators have launched an investigation.

Modern has said no safety or effectiveness issues had been identified.

Kanagawa prefecture said the national vaccine distributor, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd (4502.T), had collected the bottle with the suspected contaminant and that some 3,790 people had already received shots from the same batch.

This week more Moderna shots were temporarily stopped in two regions of Japan apparently a separate problem of rubber stopper pieces from the vials when the needles are inserted incorrectly.

Chang-Ran Kim Reports; Edited by Christopher Cushing

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