BRIEF—AstraZeneca stopped from using plant that botched J&J COVID-19 vaccine

The USA has put Johnson & Johnson in charge of a plant that ruined 15 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine and has stopped AstraZeneca from using the facility, a senior health official said on Saturday, according to a report by Express Pharma.

J&J said it was “assuming full responsibility” of the Emergent BioSolutions facility in Baltimore, reiterating that it will deliver 100 million doses to the government by the end of May.

The Department of Health & Human Services facilitated the move, the health official said in an email, asking not to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.

AstraZeneca, whose vaccine has not been approved in the US, said it will work with President Joe Biden’s administration to find an alternative site to produce its vaccine.

The development, first reported by the New York Times, further hampers AstraZeneca’s efforts in the USA.

Workers at the Emergent BioSolutions plant several weeks ago reportedly conflated ingredients for the J&J and AstraZeneca vaccines, the Times said earlier in the week.