Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine can be stored in fridge for a month, regulator says
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency says the jab could now be easier to store and more widely available.
The Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine can be stored in a fridge for up to a month, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has ruled.
Previous advice was that the vaccine needed to be used within five days of being removed from ultra-low temperature freezers.
It is hoped the change will make storage easier and possible for a wider range of health facilities.
MHRA chief executive Dr June Raine said: “Up until now, the Pfizer vaccine had to be administered within five days of being removed from ultra-low temperature freezers.
“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.”
Dr Raine said the change was approved after the MHRA “rigorously assessed” additional stability data which had been submitted by Pfizer.
The change follows a similar move by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) earlier this week.
The agency said the added increased flexibility in the storage and handling of the vaccine is expected to have a “significant impact” on the planning and logistics of vaccine rollout in EU member states.
