EU drug regulator approves new J&J vaccine plant

AMSTERDAM — The European Medicines Agency has approved a new manufacturing site for Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine, in a move that should boost production of the one-dose vaccine across the 27-nation EU.

In a statement Friday, the EU drug regulator said the new site in Anagni, Italy, will finish manufacturing of the J&J vaccine, which was licensed for use in adults across Europe in March. Production problems have stalled J&J's roll-out across the European Union in recent months and millions of doses made at a U.S. factory had to be thrown out after contamination issues.

The EU has ordered 200 million doses of the J&J vaccine and was expecting 55 million by the end of June; to date, fewer than 14 million doses have been distributed.

J&J's vaccine roll-out was also stalled after the EMA concluded there was a “possible link” between the coronavirus shot and very rare blood clots and recommended that a warning should be added to the label. Health officials say the vaccine's benefits still far outweigh the risks.

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