FDA Clears Troubled COVID-19 Vaccine Manufacturer to Resume Production

The Food and Drug Administration has cleared the manufacturer responsible for contaminating millions of vials of COVID-19 vaccines to resume production at its Baltimore plant. “We are proud to be resuming production of bulk COVID-19 vaccine batches following additional reviews and collaboration with FDA and our manufacturing partners,” Emergent BioSolutions Robert Kramer said in a statement Wednesday, according to The Wall Street Journal. The plant was responsible for contaminating 75 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca vaccines at its Baltimore facility, with 30 million J&J doses produced by the plant waiting for FDA clearance. A source told the Journal that the plant could end up making 120 million doses a month of the J&J vaccine, but those vials may not be shipped until the fall. The U.S. has seen a lack of interest in the one-dose treatment, which has been marred by different problems, resulting in it exporting the vials to other countries in need.