Johnson & Johnson to take control of its vaccine production at Baltimore plant

The exterior view of the Emergent BioSolutions plant on April 01, 2021 in Baltimore, Maryland.

In this laboratory, 15 million doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine must have been destroyed.

Getty Images via AFP - TASOS KATOPODIS

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

Johnson & Johnson will regain full control of the Baltimore plant where fifteen million doses of coronavirus vaccine had to be thrown away.

A decision taken at the request of the federal government.

Publicity

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With our correspondent in Washington, 

Anne Corpet

It's a rather unusual order from the Department of Health: he dismisses Emergent BioSolutions, the middleman who oversaw vaccine production at its Baltimore plant, and asks Johnson & Johnson to take control.

The federal authorities will help AstraZeneca, which used the services of the same provider, to find a new production site.

The mixture of ingredients of the two vaccines resulted in the loss of fifteen million doses last week and the Biden government is determined to prevent this incident from eroding confidence in the vaccine.

► Read also: 15 million doses of Johnson & Johnson's vaccine end up in the trash

The Baltimore plant is one of two production sites created with the support of federal authorities: the Trump administration had paid Emergent BioSolutions $ 628 million for the vaccine against the coronavirus to be produced there.

In a vast investigation devoted to Emergent, the

New York Times

evokes its vast political network, denounces its aggressive lobbying tactics.

This company has signed billions of dollars in government contracts over the past decade.

► Read also: Covid-19 in the United States: vaccination continues, the increase in infections too

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