Covid Pfizer vaccine, more doses in vials than the 5 declared- Corriere.it

Any good news these days is almost a Christmas fairy tale. After the first US administrations of the Covid vaccine Pfizer / BioNtech several operators realized that from a single vial containing the five expected doses, it could go up to six doses, in some cases seven.

FDA clearance

Pharmacists asked if they should discard the advanced vaccine for fear of violating the rules set by the US regulatory agency, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and now the agency’s opinion has come in: all obtainable doses can be used. “Given the public health emergency, the FDA advises that it is acceptable to use every full dose that can be obtained,” an agency spokesperson told the POLITICO news site (which first covered the news). This use could significantly increase the supply of the drug, even up to 40% more, writes POLITICO. The federal government has not announced it publicly, but is warning those who provide state vaccines. Pfizer learned of the note Wednesday afternoon. “The amount of vaccine that remains in the multi-dose vial after removing the 5 doses can vary, depending on the type of needles and syringes used,” Pfizer spokeswoman Sharon Castillo told POLITICIAN. “Currently, we are unable to offer a recommendation on the use of the remaining amount of vaccine in each vial.” Now the official positions are awaited.

The practice of filling

However, it was not Pfizer that gave a Christmas present or miscalculated the doses: practicing a vial “too full” is normal and, these days, welcome if it can be an advantage. Manufacturers do this because sometimes it is not easy to extract all doses well without wasting some, or against the risks of small accidental spills. Therefore, it is not surprising that, from a vial containing 5 doses, it is possible to obtain even 6 or more. You just have to pay attention to bacterial contamination: The more often you open and reuse a vial (over time), the greater the risk of contamination. That is why the FDA had to give pharmacists an opinion and authorization.