OK to use extra COVID-19 vaccine doses found in vials, FDA says
Amid reports that vials of the COVID-19 vaccine currently being administered in the U.S. contain extra doses, the FDA advised that “it is acceptable to use every full dose obtainable … from each vial, pending resolution of the issue.”
“However, since the vials are preservative free, it is critical to note that any further remaining product that does not constitute a full dose should not be pooled from multiple vials to create one,” the FDA said in a statement.
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The agency confirmed that some vials of the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, which is being administered under an emergency use authorization, have contained more than five doses — six and possibly even seven in some cases — and said it was working with Pfizer “to determine the best path forward, and will share additional updates as we have them.”
The discovery that vials contained additional doses was made by pharmacists, according to reports.