100 million doses of Johnson & Johnson's vaccine need to be checked for contamination and may need to be thrown out

Posted on : 05/19/2021
100 million doses of Johnson & Johnson's vaccine need to be checked for contamination and may need to be thrown out
Science 
  • Emergent BioSolutions CEO Robert Kramer said that 100 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are on hold.
  • They are potentially contaminated and may need to be discarded.
  • The New York Times reported last month that the facility may have jeopardized 62 million of J&J’s COVID-19 vaccine doses.
  • See more stories on Insider’s business page.

Emergent BioSolutions CEO Robert G. Kramer admitted to the House of Representatives on Wednesday that more than 100 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are on hold and possibly contaminated.

It was the first time that Kramer admitted the high figure of potentially spoiled vaccines after The New York Times reported last month that the facility may have jeopardized 62 million of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine doses, after ruining 15 million doses of the vaccine through cross-contamination with ingredients for AstraZeneca’s vaccine.

“No one is more disappointed than we are that we had to suspend our 24/7 manufacturing of new vaccine,” Kramer told members of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis. The Subcommittee is investigating the company and its factory mishaps.

“I apologize for the failure of our controls,” Kramer added.

Members asked questions about whether Kramer used political connections to win government contracts for vaccine production at the company’s facilities.

The millions of possibly contaminated Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine doses haven’t been distributed to the public.

A representative for Johnson & Johnson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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