Takeda Says 'Human Error' Reason Behind Contaminated Moderna COVID-19 Vaccines

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd TAK blamed "human error" as the cause of metal contaminants found in some batches of Moderna Inc's MRNA COVID-19 vaccine.
The contamination led to the withdrawal of 1.63 million doses of the mRNA shot from Japan in August.
Related Link: Moderna Withdraws Additional COVID-19 Shots In Japan: What You Need To Know.
According to Reuters, Takeda said in a new report that the Spanish factory where the vaccine was manufactured had discovered contaminants in some vials.
Still, doses from the same production batch were allowed to be shipped to Japan.
Moderna and the Spanish manufacturer Rovi carried out an investigation found that the issue was caused by incorrect assembly due to a visual misjudgment of the required 1mm gap between the stopper lids on the vials and machinery that put the tops on vaccine vials.
A total of five lots of the vaccines were affected by the manufacturing issue, three of which were shipped to Japan after passing inspection before later being recalled.
Rovi held back the fourth and fifth lots after failing inspection on July 2.
However, contaminants were later found inside at least 39 vials in Japan in late August, and testing showed that the particles were stainless steel.
Price Action: TAK shares are down 0.12% at $16.36, and MRNA shares are down 5.76% at $362.70 during the premarket session on the last check Friday.
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