The Food and Drug Administration says vials of the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer–BioNTech can be stored in a refrigerator for up to a month after they are thawed, easing delivery and handling.
Pfizer’s vaccines must be stored in ultra-low freezers or packed in dry ice at minus-112 to minus‑76 degrees Fahrenheit. Once thawed, they can be kept at refrigeration temperatures of 35°F to 46°F for up to 30 days instead of five, the FDA said in updated guidance.
Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said the company presented data that supported the change.
“Making COVID-19 vaccines widely available is key to getting people vaccinated and bringing the pandemic to an end,” Dr. Marks said. “This change should make this vaccine more widely available to the American public by facilitating the ability of vaccine providers, such as community doctors’ offices, to receive, store and administer the vaccine.”
Pfizer’s two-dose vaccine is one of the main options for vaccination against COVID-19 in the U.S., Europe and other countries.
It was the first vaccine to be authorized for emergency use in the U.S., but its complicated “cold chain” is seen as cumbersome.
For months, Pfizer has said it would study whether its vaccines could remain viable in easier-to-manage conditions.
