The BioNTech and Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine can be stored for two weeks at higher temperatures than currently forecast, according to data released today by the two laboratories, which could facilitate its distribution.
The two companies submitted data to the American FDA regulatory authority that “demonstrates the stability of the vaccine”, when stored at temperatures between -25 and -15 degrees Celsius, ie the temperature of standard medical freezers.
For this vaccine, one of the three used in the European Union, its transport and storage currently require very low temperatures, between -80 and -60 degrees, so there is a need to use special containers, which is the main logistical obstacle in the distribution of the product.
The new storage rules “could make it easier to manage our vaccine in pharmacies and allow more flexibility in vaccination centers,” said Ugur Sahin, head and co-founder of BioNTech. Although long-term maintenance (up to six months) will continue to require very low temperatures, BioNTech and Pfizer are asking the FDA to allow storage for two weeks between -15 and -20 degrees Celsius.
BioNTech and Pfizer are also working on “new formulas that could make our vaccine even easier to transport and use,” Sahin added.
