Japan has suspended the use of about 1.63 million doses of the Moderna vaccine due to contamination. The Health Ministry said foreign materials were found in some doses of a batch of roughly 5,60,000 vials.

Takeda Pharmaceutical, which sells and distributes the vaccine in Japan, said Moderna had put three batches on hold out of an abundance of caution.

It said an issue at a manufacturing contract site in Spain was the likely cause, but did not elaborate.