Stainless steel identified as foreign element in Japanese Moderna lots; DoD contract allows manufacturing of pipettes – Endpoints News

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After more than 1.6 million doses of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine were suspended last week in Japan, the country’s health ministry identified the suspicious particles and said they would not pose a risk any more important for health.

Wednesday’s results revealed that the metallic material inside the vaccine vials was stainless steel, a material Moderna said does not pose additional health risks to patients. Takeda plans to recall all three affected batches of the vaccine, Moderna said Wednesday.

“Stainless steel is commonly used in heart valves, joint prostheses, and metal sutures and staples. As such, injection of the particles identified in these lots in Japan is not expected to result in an increased medical risk, â€Takeda and Moderna said in a joint statement to Reuters.

Three lots were suspended when 39 vials were found with the foreign substance inside. These vials were all from the same lot, but the other two were kept as a precaution. All three were bottled by the Spanish pharmaceutical company Rovi.

Takeda said the cause of the contamination was the friction between two pieces of metal in machines that put plugs on vital organs. Two men in their thirties deceased in August just days after receiving the second dose of their injection, which was one of three lots that will be recalled. The cause of death is currently under investigation.

The Cambridge, MA-based biotechnology received emergency clearance in Japan in May. The recall will come at a difficult time: Japan has battled its worst pandemic wave, with daily cases surpassing 25,000 in August. About 47% of the population has been fully vaccinated. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga aims to have around 60% of the country’s population vaccinated by the end of September, and Japanese health regulators have said the booster will not hamper the rollout of his vaccine.

A DoD contract allows the manufacture of pipettes

Thermo Fisher Scientific has landed a contract with the US Department of Defense to produce pipette tips used in research in diagnostic laboratories for Covid-19 testing.

The contract is worth $ 192.5 million, Thermo Fisher said Wednesday, and will be issued in coordination with the US Department of Health and Human Services. The line will be in North Carolina and will be fully completed by the third quarter of 2024. Manufacturing is expected to start as early as the third quarter of 2023, according to the press release.

Thermo Fisher has injected $ 180 million into expanding laboratory plastics production since the start of the pandemic, the company said, and $ 600 million to increase bioprocessing capacity.

In a press release, COO Mark Stevenson said:

“This price and the resulting capacity ensure that future demand surges in the United States, from the current COVID-19 pandemic to the next crisis, will be met with greater assurance of supply. Supply chain agility is critical to our customers, our government, and the health and safety of our citizens, and we are excited to bring this cutting-edge capability online, especially as its efficient design will show also our commitment to achieve zero net carbon emissions by 2050.

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