Pfizer vaccine can be stored in fridge much longer than thought, says European drugs regulator

Jab can safely be kept at between 2C and 8C for up to 31 days, EMA advises

(AFP via Getty Images)

Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine can be stored at normal fridge temperatures after coming out of a deep-freezer for much longer than was initially recommended, the European Medicines Agency has said.

The jab can safely be kept at between 2C and 8C for up to a month (31 days), the regulator said in an update published on Monday, versus the five days that had been recommended until now.

The announcement will address one of the major drawbacks of Pfizer vaccine, that it needed to be administered soon after being removed from expensive ultra-low temperature freezers.

This had limited where the jab could be offered, since poorer countries and remote areas often lack the network of deep freezers required to store the jab. It has also made the transport and distribution of the vaccine more complicated and expensive.

The updated advice is likely to result in fewer vials being thrown away.

Employee Jessica Mueller puts the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine into an ultra-low freezer at the vaccine warehouse near Magdeburg, eastern Germany (AFP via Getty Images)

The decision was taken by the EMA’s human medicines committee after Pfizer and BioNTech submitted “additional stability study data” to the Amsterdam-based agency – which was forced to relocate from London following Brexit.

“Increased flexibility in the storage and handling of the vaccine is expected to have a significant impact on planning and logistics of vaccine roll-out in EU Member States,” the EMA said.

The UK’s equivalent of the EMA, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), still gives the vaccine a maximum shelf life of up to five days in a fridge.

Dr June Raine, MHRA chief executive, said: “We have also received an application from Pfizer for an update to the storage conditions for their COVID-19 vaccine.

“It is normal practice for new products to undergo updates to aspects of their conditions for use and as with any update, this will need our assessment and approval before the new conditions for supply are approved in the UK. We will continue to make this a priority.”

The UK has ordered 100 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine. The EU agreed a massive contract extension with the same company this month for a potential 1.8 billion doses through to 2023.