Pfizer vaccine doesn't need ultra-cold storage after all, company says

Source: Ars Technica

In a bit of good news, Pfizer and BioNTech announced today that their highly effective COVID-19 vaccine does not require ultra-cold storage conditions after all and can be kept stable at standard freezer temperatures for two weeks.

The companies have submitted data to the US Food and Drug Administration demonstrating the warmer stability in a bid for regulatory approval to relax storage requirements and labeling for the vaccine.

If the FDA greenlights the change, the warmer storage conditions could dramatically ease vaccine distribution, allowing doses to be sent to non-specialized vaccine administration sites. The change would also make it much easier to distribute the vaccine to low-income countries.

“We have been continuously performing stability studies to support the production of the vaccine at commercial scale, with the goal of making the vaccine as accessible as possible for healthcare providers and people across the US and around the world,” Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement. “If approved, this new storage option would offer pharmacies and vaccination centers greater flexibility in how they manage their vaccine supply.”

Read more: https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/02/pfizer-vaccine-rollout-might-get-a-lot-easier-ultra-cold-sto

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At standard freezer temperatures, the vaccine is good for two weeks. At dry ice / ultra cold storage it lasts 30 days.

Pfizer and BioNTech Submit Covid-19 Vaccine Stability Data at Standard Freezer Temperature to the U.S. FDA
https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/pfizer-and-biontech-submit-covid-19-vaccine-stability-data