SINGAPORE: Singapore has approved the new storage condition for the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, at refrigerator temperature of 2 to 8 degrees Celsius for up to 31 days.
The new storage condition was approved on May 20, after a thorough review of the application and supplemental data submitted by Pfizer.
“The newly approved extended storage condition at refrigerator temperature for up to 31 days is a significant improvement over the existing storage conditions,” said chief executive officer of the republic’s Health Sciences Authority (HSA), Dr Mimi Choong May Ling, in a statement today.
The new storage condition will greatly facilitate the transportation and local distribution of this vaccine to vaccination centres, as well as their storage and use at the centres.
HSA has determined that the thawed, undiluted Covid‐19 vaccine remains stable when stored at standard refrigerator temperatures with the long-term storage of the vaccine remaining at minus 70 degrees Celsius.
During the initial authorisation of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Dec 14, 2020, HSA had approved its long-term storage at minus 70 degrees Celsius and temporary storage after thawing at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius for up to five days.
On Feb 25, 2021, HSA had authorised a change to indicate that the vaccine can be stored at standard freezer temperature of minus 20 degrees Celsius for up to two weeks. – Bernama
