Japan's Ministry of Health and Labor said Takeda suspended 1.6 million doses of Modena (Moderna Inc) COVID-19 vaccine because of contamination, the Nikkei News reported.
A notice from the ministry said it had received reports of foreign bodies in vaccine bottles at several COVID-19 vaccination centers.
The Ministry is taking measures to minimize the impact of the above decisions on Japan's immunization programme. Japan has not yet caught up with the vaccination levels reached by other developed countries.
Takeda has partnered with Modena to distribute the latter's COVID-19 vaccine in Japan. According to reports, Takeda Pharmaceuticals said that Modena vaccine has not yet reported safety problems.
Modena later said that he had received complaints about particulate matter in Japanese vaccine bottles and that no safety or effectiveness problems had been found. The company is working with Takeda Pharmaceuticals and regulators to address the problem.