European Medicines Agency EMA made a surprise announcement about the BioNTech/Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on May 17, 2021. That was when its human medicines committee recommended a change to the approved storage conditions of the ‘Comirnaty’ vaccine. This now means the Pfizer vaccine is safe in a fridge for a month, at 2 – 8°C after removal from deep-freeze conditions.
This Will Greatly Facilitate the Roll Out of The Vaccine
However, the EMA change in policy only extends the storage period of unopened storage vials to between five to thirty-one days. The EU human medicines committee acknowledged and agreed this change after reviewing new stability data.
This data came from BioNTech/Pfizer’s authorization holder, with authority to market in the European Union. Extending the previous five-day refrigeration limit will have a significant positive impact on Pfizer vaccine distribution. And this will especially be the case with less-developed nations, which did not previously have the ability to use the vaccine at all.
One Month Fridge-Safe Pfizer Vaccine Approval Builds on U.S. Decision
We don’t know why the Pfizer vaccine had such heavy-handed storage restrictions in the beginning, or who recommended them. But United States already made a concession in February regarding storage and transport.
That was when it agreed to standard freezer temperatures of -15 to -25C for up to two weeks. Moreover, this was already a significant relaxation from the previous -80 to -60C it earlier approved.
Declaring the Pfizer vaccine safe in a fridge for a month is not a response to a problem. That’s because we believe our governments were correct when they proceeded with an abundance of caution in the beginning. In fact, the European Medicines Agency’s decision confirms the vaccine is safer than we thought. And that’s a starburst of good news in these times.
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Preview Image: BioNTech/Pfizer Comirnaty Vaccine
