The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Wednesday that health officials would initially be able to obtain seven doses of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine from vials intended to contain only five.
The hospital’s pharmacists noted the discovery on Twitter and the Pharmacy Message Board this week as front-line health care workers began taking the vaccine on Monday.
Wednesday evening, the FDA officially Released a statement on Twitter, Writing that he is familiar with “that some vials of Pfizer-Bioentech # COVID-19 The vaccine has an extra product after taking five doses. ”
“At this time, in view of the public health crisis, the FDA is advising that it is acceptable to use the remaining resolution of every full dose (sixth, or possibly even seventh) issue received from each vial,” the FDA continued following the tweet.
However, the FDA added that the remaining ingredients should not be combined from multiple vials to make a full dose and the agency was “working with Pfizer to determine the best way forward, and will share additional updates as we have.”
The FDA knows that some vials of Pfizer-Bioentech # COVID-19 The vaccine has an additional product after receiving five doses. The agency is working with Pfizer to determine the best way forward, and will share additional updates we have. https://t.co/0jiiyEmug7
– US FDA (US_FDA) December 17, 2020
However, the vials are preservative free, so it is important to note that any remaining product that does not produce a full dose should not be pulled from multiple vials to make it.
– US FDA (US_FDA) December 17, 2020
Politico First reported finding additional doses before the FDA’s public announcement.
According to the news outlet, a federal health official notified vaccine providers Wednesday morning that they could use every dose they were able to get from a single vial. Pfizer was notified of the change by noon.
Erin Fox, a pharmacy expert at the University of Utah who monitors drug shortages, told Politico that pharmaceutical manufacturers overfill vaccine vials in sewage and other waste conditions.
“It’s pretty unusual to have a whole extra dose or more – but it seems there!” She emailed the news outlet.
Pfizer spokeswoman Sharon Castillo told Politico earlier on Wednesday that “the amount of vaccine remaining in a multidose vial after 5 doses may vary depending on the type of needle and syringe used.”
Pfizer said it has developed enough vaccines to carry at least 25 million doses in the United States before the end of the year, enough for 12.5 million people, as the vaccine requires only two shots a week.
Federal officials have already distributed about 2.9 million doses following the FDA’s emergency use approval last week.
The final trial data showed that the Pfizer vaccine was 95 percent effective in preventing COVD-19.
A candidate for a vaccine developed by Moderna, which has a similar effectiveness rate, is also being considered for FDA emergency use approval this week.
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