Johnson & Johnson will cut COVID-19 vaccine shipments by 86% in the coming week, according to CDC projections. The week of April 5, the company shipped nearly 5 million doses. Next week, that figure could fall to approximately 700,000.
The company anticipates that it can eventually deliver up to 8 million doses weekly, assuming FDA authorizes an Emergent BioSolutions plant in Baltimore to produce the vaccine.
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) announced that it would assume complete control over the production of its COVID-19 vaccine at the facility of Emergent BioSolutions Bayview, which is a contract manufacturing partner of J&J.
A factory error at the Emergent BioSolutions plant ruined up to 15 million COVID-19 vaccine doses. An additional 62 million doses of the vaccine could be discarded if the company determines they are at risk of contamination.
FDA has not indicated when it might authorize production lines at the Emergent BioSolutions facility. Federal officials had previously estimated that the plant could be certified in early April.
Johnson & Johnson still anticipates that it can deliver 100 million doses to the U.S. government by the end of May, as it contracted to do.