Thirteen feared injured after solvent leak at German pharma company

Solvent has leaked at a German pharmaceutical company involved in the production of Covid-19 vaccines, possibly injuring 13 people, according to the police.
The incident may have been caused by a technical defect at Rentschler, a pharmaceutical company based in Laupheim, in the south-western German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg.
"We now have to wait and see whether there are still after-effects," said a police spokesperson.
Four employees may have come into direct contact with the agent, and nine other people are also believed to have been injured after the solvent leaked, according to a statement.
"Of the 13 employees from the production team who were on site at the relevant time, two are currently still under medical observation as a precaution," the company said.
An initial assessment found that nobody had been harmed. A police spokesperson pointed out that the people affected could still suffer consequences hours later.
The Rentschler company is also involved in the production of the Covid-19 vaccine by BioNTech and Pfizer.
A spokeswoman for the company confirmed the incident. According to her, Wednesday's accident has no impact on the production of the Covid-19 drug.
"The production of active pharmaceutical ingredients for our customers continues without interruption; no delays or outages are expected," Rentschler said.
According to the police, the liquid solvent leaked from a hose during production. After the incident, the fire brigade checked the air for pollutants. The police were investigating the cause of the accident.
Due to prevailing safety precautions, it was not necessary to completely evacuate the affected building. "Specially trained employees of the company later collected the leaked liquid and disposed of it properly," the police said.