Vaccines against COVID-19 Pfizer can be kept at the usual temperatures found in pharmaceutical freezers for a period of two weeks, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Thursday.
This authorization It relaxes a previous requirement that required vaccine storage at temperatures between -80 and -60 degrees C grade.
“The alternative temperature for transport and storage will help alleviate the burden of purchasing extremely low refrigeration storage equipment for vaccination sites, and should help to get the vaccine in several places“said Peter Marks, director of the FDA Center for Biological Evaluation and Research.
Pharmaceutical freezers usually operate at about -20 degrees Celsius.
The action was taken after Pfizer filed a lawsuit following the results of its stability research vaccine at higher temperatures.
The Pfizer vaccine is based on a new technology that uses synthetic mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) molecules that provide genetic instructions for human cells to create some of the coronavirus.
MRNA molecules they are wrapped in fat particles to protect them and require less storage.
Once thawed, the vials can be stored for up to five days at two to eight degrees Celsius. At room temperature it does not last more than two hours.
JM
