New version of Pfizer Covid vaccine won't need ultra-low temperature for storage

Pfizer, the US pharma giant, is planning to make a new version of its Covid vaccine that can be stored in standard freezer and comes ready for use. Currently, the Pfizer vaccine needs to be stored at minus 70 degrees Celsius.

The very low-temperature requirement has been found to be limiting the vaccine's distribution.

But Pfizer's chief executive Albert Bourla told AFP in an interview that a new version is in the pipeline and that he was optimistic the vaccine will also prove effective against new virus variants.

Indian variant

Bourla said Pfizer has large amounts of real-world data from some of the variant outbreaks.

"We have already data for the UK one -- I hate using the countries, but people know them like that -- which is very prominent in Israel... efficiency was 97 percent," he said.

"We have data from South Africa, with the South African variant, and overall the efficacy was 100 percent. And also have data from Brazil. And it looks also this is very well controlled."

Pfizer has not yet compiled sufficient data on the efficiency of its vaccine against the so-called Indian variant, the latest to raise concerns that a new wave of infections could overcome the immunisation drive.

But he said he was "optimistic" the vaccine would prove effective, and that the firm's mRNA technology can be adapted to counter new strains.

"The thing that makes me feel more comfortable is that we have developed a process that once a variant becomes a variant of concern, we should be able to have a new vaccine within 100 days," he said.

"It's a tough target, but I am very comfortable that we should be able to do it.

"And because of the effectiveness of this mRNA technology, I believe that variants will not become an issue, we'll be able to control them."

(With inputs from agencies)