The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine should no longer be stored at ultra-frozen temperatures and can be safely stored in normal medical freezers – facilitating distribution, the company said in a report on Friday.
Photo makers, including German biotechnology firm BioNTech, have found that doses can stay between 5 and -13 degrees Fahrenheit without spoiling – instead of -94 degrees as previously thought, according to the Financial Times.
The ability to store rescue legs at higher temperatures gives vaccine distribution centers “greater flexibility” and makes them “easier to transport and use” in rural or hard-to-reach areas, said Ugur Sahin, CEO of BioNTech .
The new “stability data” of the vaccine revealed by the companies have now been presented to the US Food and Drug Administration, the newspaper reported.
The innovative Pfizer vaccine was the first to be approved in the US and Europe last year. But in November, experts warned that the vaccine could become a logistical nightmare to distribute due to sub-zero storage temperatures.
The companies involved in transporting the photos have since complained that the government has not taken into account the temperature-related challenges of delivering the “last kilometer”.
The need to store and transport the vaccine at ultra-frozen temperatures has delayed its launch, especially in remote areas without so-called “cold chain” infrastructure.