Jill Wechsler, Pharm Exec's Washington Correspondent

Just two weeks after instructing Johnson & Johnson to take over operations at Emergent BioSolution’s noncompliant Baltimore manufacturing operation, FDA has called a halt in production of vaccine drug substance and to quarantine all remaining product at the Bayview plant.

FDA is halting enforcement of a policy that limits prescribing and dispensing of Mifeprex (mifepristone), a widely used drug to induce a medical abortion in the very early stages of pregnancy.

FDA acting commissioner Janet Woodcock announced this week that Patrizia Cavazzoni will become the director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), shifting from her role as acting director since last spring.

A picture of wide manufacturing violations appears in a recently disclosed FDA form 483 report on a site visit to Emergent’s Baltimore vaccine plant.