UK regulator says Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine can be stored 31 days in fridge

May 20, 2021 11:57 PM PHT

Rappler.com

SUMMARY

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

UK regulator says Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine can be stored 31 days in fridge

LIMITED. A healthcare worker holds a vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at Rafik Hariri University Hospital, in Beirut, Lebanon, February 14, 2021.

Photo by Mohamed Azakir/Reuters

'Up until now, the Pfizer vaccine had to be administered within five days of being removed from ultra-low temperature freezers'

The Pfizer BioNTech vaccine for COVID-19 can be stored for up to 31 days at normal fridge temperatures in Britain after a change approved by the country’s health and medicine regulator on Thursday, May 20.

“Up until now, the Pfizer vaccine had to be administered within five days of being removed from ultra-low temperature freezers,” June Raine, the head of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said in a statement.

“Now that the jab can be stored at normal fridge temperatures for up to 31 days, it can be used in a wider range of healthcare settings, giving patients greater access to the Pfizer vaccine.”

The change came after the regulator assessed additional stability data, the MHRA said. – Rappler.com