A decision that could speed up its deployment in the European Union.

Storing the Pfizer / BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine in the refrigerator for a period of up to a month, the European medicines regulator announced on Monday.

The storage period in the fridge for unused vials is thus extended compared to the five days already authorized, said the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

"A significant impact on planning and logistics"

Since its introduction, the high efficacy of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine has been tempered by the difficulty of storing and transporting the vials due to the need for extremely cold storage conditions.

“Greater flexibility in the storage and handling of the vaccine is expected to have a significant impact on the planning and logistics of vaccine deployment in EU member states,” said the Amsterdam-based EMA.

Storage at a temperature of 2 to 8 ° C

"This modification extends the authorized storage period of an unopened thawed bottle at a temperature of 2 to 8 ° C (that is to say that of a normal refrigerator) from five days to one month (31 days)", adds the Agency.

The EMA cleared in March the storage of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine at freezer temperatures between -25 and -15 ° C for a period of two weeks, a decision touted as an alternative to long-term storage of the vials at a temperature between -90 and -60 ° C in special freezers.

The EMA had followed in the footsteps of the United States Medicines Agency (FDA), which had taken a similar decision in February.

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