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The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine no longer needs to be kept in ultra-freezing temperatures and can be safely stored in normal medical freezers – making distribution easier, the company said in a report on Friday.
Dosage makers, including German biotech company BioNTech, found that doses can remain between 5 and -13 degrees Fahrenheit without spoiling – instead of -94 degrees as previously thought, according to the Financial Times.
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The ability to store life-saving jabs 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 BioNTech CEO, Ugur Sahin.
The new vaccine “stability data” revealed by the companies has now been submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration, the newspaper reported.
Pfizer’s innovative vaccine was the first to be approved in the United States and Europe last year. But in November, experts warned that the distribution of the vaccine could become a logistical nightmare due to sub-zero storage temperatures.
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Since then, the companies involved in sending the shots have also complained that the government has not considered the challenges related to temperature in the “last mile” delivery.
The need to store and transport the vaccine in freezing temperatures has delayed its launch, especially in remote areas without the so-called “cold chain” infrastructure.