A photograph taken on January 15, 2021 shows a pharmacist holding with his gloved hands a bottle of undiluted Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for Covid-19, stored at -70 ° in a super freezer at Le Mans Hospital , in northwestern France, as countries conduct a vaccination campaign to combat the spread of the new coronavirus.
Jean-Francois Monier | AFP | Getty Images
Pfizer said Friday that it is seeking permission from the Food and Drug Administration to store its Covid-19 vaccine for two weeks at temperatures commonly found in pharmaceutical freezers and refrigerators.
The vaccine, developed with German pharmacist BioNTech, currently has to be stored in ultra-cold freezers that keep it between 112 and 76 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the FDA. Pfizer said it sent new data to the US agency showing that the vaccine is stable between minus 13 and 5 degrees Fahrenheit.
If the FDA accepts the request, it could simplify logistics for vaccine distribution. Federal and state officials are trying to pick up the pace of vaccinations across the country as the virus spreads.
“We have been continuously conducting stability studies to support commercial-scale vaccine production, with the goal of making the vaccine as accessible as possible to health care providers and individuals across the United States and from around the world, “said Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer a release. “If approved, this new storage option would offer pharmacies and vaccination centers more flexibility in how they manage the supply of vaccines.”
Medical experts had warned that the Pfizer vaccine would present logistical challenges due to the need for ultra-cold temperatures. In December, U.S. officials said they quarantined several thousand doses in California and Alabama after an “anomaly” in the transportation process caused the storage temperature to cool too much.
The vaccine is sent in a special thermal container that can be used as temporary storage for up to 30 days by filling it with dry ice every five days. Before mixing it with a salt diluent, the vaccine can also be cooled for up to five days at the standard refrigerator temperature, between 36 and 46 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the company.
In comparison, the Moderna vaccine should be sent between 13 and 5 degrees Fahrenheit. He said his vaccine remains stable between 36 and 46 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature of a standard home or medical refrigerator, for up to 30 days. It can be stored for six months at less than 4 degrees Fahrenheit.
Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine, which is expected to be authorized for emergency use by the FDA as early as this month, has said it plans to send its vaccine between 36 and 46 degrees Fahrenheit.
As additional stability data is obtained, Pfizer said it anticipates that shelf life can be extended and alternative temperature storage can be considered in the short term.