A discolored dose of an Adimmune influenza vaccine was found in Keelung from a batch of 183,000 doses that have already been distributed to six cities and counties, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said on Saturday.
The Keelung Health Bureau on Saturday reported that one dose of the vaccine manufactured by Adimmune Corp was found to have discoloration before being administered at Cidu District Public Health Center, the CDC said in a news release.
The dose was immediately withdrawn for further investigation, it said.
Photo courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control
The batch containing the discolored flu vaccine consisted of about 183,000 doses, which had been distributed to health bureaus in six cities and counties: Taipei, Keelung and Taoyuan, and Miaoli, Hualien and Taitung counties, CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said.
From the batch, 75,000 doses had already been administered, while 108,000 doses in stock have been temporarily withdrawn, he said.
The Cidu District Public Health Center inspected more than 70 doses from the same batch (FSZA2408) produced by the Taiwan-based vaccine maker, but no others were found to have discoloration, he added.
Six years ago, a similar situation arose with a dose of a flu vaccine manufactured by French pharmaceutical company Sanofi, Lo said, adding that the incident led to the establishment of a protocol that includes immediately halting the administration of remaining doses from the same batch.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has asked Adimmune to investigate the cause of the discoloration and determine if it is an isolated case or a systemic issue, he said.
The incident would not affect an ongoing free influenza and COVID-19 vaccination program, which began on Oct. 1, Lo said, adding that 6.254 million doses of flu vaccines from five different brands are still available for this year’s program.
Discoloration is usually due to issues with in the cold chain — the temperature-controlled process for storing and transporting vaccines — or improper sealing, leading to abnormalities, said Hwang Kao-pin (黃高彬), deputy head of China Medical University Hospital’ infection control center.
The discoloration could be caused by storing the vaccine at an incorrect temperature, a faulty cap that failed to seal the vaccine or an issue with how it was stored in the Keelung public health center, Hwang said, adding that it was important for health authorities to quickly check other batches to determine the cause.
Medical experts and representatives from the FDA, Keelung City Health Bureau and Adimmune are to meet today to discuss vaccine quality and administration safety, the CDC said.
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
EVA Airways on Saturday said that it had suspended a pilot and opened an investigation after he allegedly lost his temper and punched the first officer several times as their plane was taxiing before takeoff at Los Angeles International Airport. According to a report published on Thursday by The Reporter, the incident occurred after the flight’s Malaysian first officer tried to warn the Taiwanese pilot, surnamed Wen (文), that he was taxiing faster than the speed limit of 30 knots (55.6kph). After alerting the pilot several times without response, the first officer manually applied the brakes in accordance with standard operating
Japanese Councilor Hei Seki (石平) on Wednesday said that he plans to visit Taiwan, saying that would “prove that Taiwan is an independent country and does not belong to China.” Seki, a member of the Japan Innovation Party, was born in Chengdu in China’s Sichuan Province and became a naturalized Japanese in 2007. He was elected to the House of Concilors last year. His views on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) — espoused in a series of books on politics and history — prompted Beijing to sanction him, including barring Seki from traveling to China. Seki wrote on X that he intends
RSS