FDA says 60M J&J vaccine doses from troubled plant must be thrown out: report

The Food and Drug and Administration (FDA) is forcing Johnson & Johnson to throw out millions of doses of its single-shot COVID-19 vaccine produced at a troubled plant in Baltimore due to contamination concerns.

According to The New York Times, 60 million doses were unusable.

Another 10 million doses from the plant will be allowed to be distributed but with a warning that the FDA cannot guarantee they were produced using good manufacturing practices, according to the Times.

In a statement, the FDA confirmed that it has now authorized two batches of the vaccine.

Federal officials “determined several other batches are not suitable for use, but additional batches are still under review and the agency will keep the public informed as those reviews are completed,” the agency said.

The agency referred questions about specific numbers to Johnson & Johnson, which did not respond.

The FDA said it has not yet determined whether the plant, operated by Emergent BioSolutions, can reopen.

The impact: Given there is plentiful supply in the US of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, the main impact is on global vaccine supply, given that many other countries are still facing shortages.