The news should allow better deployment of the vaccine in the European Union.
The European medicines regulator on Monday approved the storage of Pfizer-BioNTech serum against Covid-19 in the refrigerator for a period of up to a month.
This modification "extends the authorized storage period of an unopened thawed bottle at a temperature of 2 to 8 ° C (Editor's note, that of a normal refrigerator) from five days to one month (31 days)", specifies the agency.
The storage period in the fridge for unused vials is thus extended compared to the five days already authorized, said the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
Since its introduction, the high efficacy of the Pfizer virus vaccine has been tempered by the difficulty of storing and transporting the vials due to the need for extremely cold storage conditions.
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“Greater flexibility in the storage and handling of the vaccine is expected to have a significant impact on the planning and logistics of vaccine deployment in EU member states,” said Amsterdam-based European agency EMA.
In March, the agency cleared the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine for storage at freezer temperatures between -25 and -15 ° C for a period of two weeks. A decision presented as an alternative to long-term storage of the vials at a temperature between -90 and -60 ° C in special freezers. The EMA had followed in the footsteps of the United States Medicines Agency (FDA), which had taken a similar decision in February.