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- Moderna said Monday that its coronavirus vaccine works to prevent Covid-19.
- Moderna is now the second pharmacist to share positive results for a coronavirus vaccine after Pfizer said a week ago that its injection works.
- Pfizer’s vaccine must be stored at -70 degrees, which represents a challenge for vaccine distribution.
- However, Moderna’s vaccine is stable for up to a month at standard refrigeration temperatures, between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius.
- For more stories, visit Business Insider.
Moderna said Monday that its experimental vaccine was effective in preventing Covid-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.
The findings come from a massive, well-designed study, but have not been reviewed by outside experts or regulators. The news comes just a week after Pfizer shared that its vaccine was effective in preventing Covid-19, causing markets to skyrocket in hopes that an effective vaccine would help end the pandemic.
Moderna’s shot comes with a crucial advantage over Pfizer’s: it doesn’t require a freezer. Instead, the injection can be stored at standard refrigerator temperatures for up to a month, Moderna said Monday.
Hospitals and health officials were working to figure out how to store and distribute the Pfizer injection, particularly in more rural areas, because the process may involve dry ice and special freezers. Some hospitals and city and state health officials were looking to purchase special freezers to store that intake, Reuters reported.
Pfizer injection is stored at extremely cold temperatures
The Pfizer vaccine should be shipped and stored at -70 degrees, a cooler temperature than is required for most other vaccines. That can be a challenge in the US, and it presents an even bigger hurdle in some other countries.
Pfizer will ship the vaccine by air and ground using dry ice, along with reusable GPS temperature monitoring devices.
Pfizer is working on a next-generation version of its injection that would not need to be kept in extremely cold temperatures, the company’s chief scientific officer told Business Insider.
Moderna’s only requires standard refrigeration
Meanwhile, Moderna’s vaccine can be stored under standard refrigeration for up to 30 days, the company said Monday. That greatly simplifies the distribution challenge compared to Pfizer’s injection.
The injection is stable for a month between 2 and 8 degrees, which is the standard temperature for refrigerators.
Moderna’s vaccine can also be stored for up to six months at -20 degrees, a typical temperature requirement that hospitals and clinics are used to.
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