FDA authorizes longer refrigeration time for Pfizer vaccine, improving availability
The FDA has authorized a longer refrigeration time for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, a change it said should help make the vaccine more available.
The FDA said undiluted, thawed vials of the vaccine can be stored for up to 1 month at refrigerated temperatures. Previously, they could be stored for up to only 5 days.
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“Making COVID-19 vaccines widely available is key to getting people vaccinated and bringing the pandemic to an end,” Peter Marks, MD, PhD, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in a statement.
Marks said Pfizer submitted data to the FDA to support the longer storage time.
“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,” he said.
The vaccine is now authorized for people as young as age 12 years.
The FDA updated its Fact Sheet for Healthcare Providers Administering Vaccine to reflect the new refrigeration guidance.
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