According to a source, Emergent BioSolutions had a part in the Trump administration’s effort to speed up vaccine research and delivery by cancelling a multimillion dollar deal

According to the Washington Post, the US government has canceled a multimillion-dollar contract with Emergent BioSolutions, a Maryland-based vaccine manufacturer with facilities in Baltimore that was found to have produced millions of tainted Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses this spring.

The news was revealed by Emergent on Thursday during a conference call to discuss its latest financial performance, according to the Post. According to the Post, Emergent will lose around $180 million as a result of the contract’s termination.

Emergent BioSolutions assisted the Trump administration in its efforts to accelerate vaccine research and delivery. Emergent, however, rapidly ran into production issues after gaining a contract from the previous administration.

15 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine were tainted in March by materials intended for use in the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine shots. The vaccine issues resulted in a months-long production pause.

Following that, the Biden administration placed Johnson & Johnson in charge of vaccine production in the country.

The Food and Drug Administration announced in June that at least another 60 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine produced at the plant will be discarded.

J&J’s ambitions to be a major player in vaccinating people, particularly in distant locations and poor countries, were impeded by breaches at the Bayview factory in Baltimore. It only requires one dose and normal refrigeration, and it is also less expensive than other vaccines. The Emergent plant, on the other hand, has had issues.

According to papers obtained by The Associated Press, the FDA has previously cited Emergent for issues like as insufficiently trained staff, fractured vials, and problems managing mold and other contaminants surrounding one of its sites.