London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025

Hong Kong not alone in finding faulty BioNTech vaccine packaging, experts say

Hong Kong not alone in finding faulty BioNTech vaccine packaging, experts say

In countries such as Britain and the United States, there have been reports of a handful of similar cases of defective packaging in BioNTech vaccines, Society of Hospital Pharmacists chief says.

The level of defects in the BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine in Hong Kong is not particularly high, according to local experts, who point out countries overseas have not suspended their inoculation programmes despite packaging faults also being found in a small number of products.

The debate on how defective packaging might compromise vaccine safety continued to rage among the scientific community on Thursday after the Hong Kong government suspended the use of BioNTech jabs because of faulty bottles.

A BioNTech spokeswoman on Thursday said the affected batch – numbered 210102 – was only delivered to Hong Kong and Macau, and a probe had been launched into the cause of the defects.

Asked whether the company knew of any defective packaging in other batches, she said: “No other region has been supplied with doses from this batch. No other batches shipped to other regions are affected by this investigation.”

The batch was supplied by Fosun Pharma, which has the rights to distribute the German-made vaccine in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

In countries such as Britain and the United States, pharmacists had reported a handful of similar cases of defective packaging in BioNTech vaccines, but they did not halt their vaccination schemes, according to William Chui Chun-ming, president of the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Hong Kong.

“Defects have been reported in other places from time to time, although the number of cases is not as high as in Hong Kong,” he said.

Chui noted that faulty packaging, such as loose metal rings, also occurred occasionally in vials for medicines such as antibiotics.

He believed BioNTech had not asked Britain or the US to halt vaccinations because not enough cases were reported.

“The number of product complaints acts as a signal to alert the company that there might be problems occurring in their vaccine,” he said. “Suspension of the batch will be triggered when it reaches a certain number, which is decided by the company internally.”

Chui said although the vaccines could be manufactured at different plants, that would not be the reason for the spike in the defect rate in Hong Kong compared with elsewhere.

“The operation guideline across different manufacturing plants is the same. The production plant is standardised to control the quality of its vaccine, otherwise, it would be very dangerous and affect the company’s reputation,” he said.

Government pandemic adviser Professor David Hui Shu-cheong said he was also told of faulty BioNTech bottles in Britain, but the number of cases was not high enough to call for a temporary suspension of those jabs.

Hong Kong officials said more than 50 defects including cracks, air pressure issues resulting in leaks, tilted or loose vial seals, as well as stains or marks outside the glass containers were reported, but all potentially spoiled vials had been disposed of.

The BioNTech vaccine arrived in Hong Kong last month and was rolled out on March 6.


Of the 585,000 doses in batch 210102, a quarter, or 151,300, had been used in Hong Kong. The city’s supply of batch 210104 was not yet in use and all of its 758,000 doses were in storage.

Chui said the spoilage ratio was low – 57 out of the 150,000 doses used in the city, giving a rate of less than 0.1 per cent. Still, he still felt it showed the pharmaceutical company had failed to act as a gatekeeper over the quality of its products.

Hui agreed the defect ratio was not high, as the BioNTech vaccine was stored in a glass bottle because it required dilution. He added that such packaging defects were less likely to happen with Sinovac and Moderna jabs as they were stored in a prefilled syringe and did not require dilution.

Authorities in Hong Kong and Macau stressed that there was no evidence to suggest the doses in question posed any health risk, adding that the faulty bottles were not administered to jab recipients.

Meanwhile, all of the 100,425 BioNTech shots procured by Macau were from batch 210102. As of Tuesday, a total of 6,215 doses, or 6.2 per cent, were administered, the health bureau said on Wednesday.

Asked whether Macau had reported similar packaging defects, a bureau spokesman said they did not have additional information to provide.

Two vaccines have been approved for emergency use in Hong Kong so far – CoronaVac produced by Beijing-based Sinovac Biotech and the jab known by the brand name Comirnaty jointly developed by Germany’s BioNTech and US-based Pfizer.

Shanghai-based Fosun is BioNTech’s partner in the development and distribution of Comirnaty jabs in Greater China. Pfizer is BioNTech’s partner for vaccines elsewhere in the world.

Hui revealed Fosun had already suggested to the Hong Kong government an alternative supplier from Germany to manufacture the city’s BioNTech vaccine.

Hong Kong launched BioNTech jabs as part of its vaccination drive, which began late last month, on March 6.

Dr Siddharth Sridhar, a clinical virologist at the University of Hong Kong, said defects in vaccine packages were uncommon.

“I would expect that a certain proportion of vials become damaged at some point during manufacture, transport or thawing no matter where the vaccine is used. If the company can come back and say there is nothing wrong with the process and [quality control] checks out, we can hopefully resume vaccinations with BioNTech,” he said.


Chui, the pharmacist, also criticised BioNTech for its follow-up action on the suspension.

“In normal practice, a responsible pharmacy should alert the local government in advance before issuing their announcement … They should also help with transferring other batches or certain amounts of vaccines to Hong Kong,” he said.

Chui suggested the company set up a production line solely for the manufacturing of vaccines supplied to the city and Macau.

Professor Ian Wong Chi-kei, head of HKU’s department of pharmacology and pharmacy, said the Department of Health’s Drug Office had a system in place to report defective pharmaceutical products, including vaccines.

That information was then relayed to the Hospital Authority and other health care providers to recall the faulty products.

“In pharmaceutical production, there are very comprehensive quality control procedures in order to ensure the high quality of medicines and vaccines. However, in some rare occasions, defective batches are detected, not just for vaccines but also for other medicines,” he said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
×