Vials of the BioNTech vaccine are pictured on April 22, 2021 at the San Giovanni Addolorata hospital in Rome.
(TIZIANA FABI / AFP)
HONG KONG – The Hong Kong government said two batches of the BioNTech vaccine put on hold earlier due to packaging defects will be returned to the manufacturer in Germany for disposal.
READ MORE: HK, Macao suspend BioNTech vaccines over packaging defect
BioNTech has also finished the investigation on the cause of the packaging defects and confirmed that the root cause of the incident was the imperfect crimping process at one packaging plant in Germany, the government said
The government suspended the use of two batches of the COVID-19 vaccine (210102 and 210104) on March 24 as a precautionary measure after being notified of packaging defects including loose vial caps and leakage from the vials.
In a statement issued Thursday evening, a spokesman for the government said it had received the latest notification from BioNTech that the two batches concerned should be returned to the manufacturer in Germany.
BioNTech has also finished the investigation on the cause of the packaging defects and confirmed that the root cause of the incident was the imperfect crimping process at one packaging plant in Germany. “There is no safety issue related to the defects,” according to the statement.
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The spokesman said that Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group, which has the rights to market the mRNA vaccine in the special administrative region, has arranged for the affected batches to be replaced by new batches that were packaged in another packaging plant (Baxter) in Germany.
Since the resumption of the vaccination service of the BioNTech vaccine in Hong Kong, similar complaints related to crimping defects have not been received, the spokesman added.