7:35 p.m. ET, November 9, 2020
Pfizer expects "logistical challenge" in distributing vaccine at freezing temperatures, if it's authorized
From CNN’s Shelby Lin Erdman
The distribution of Pfizer’s two-dose coronavirus vaccine will be a “logistical challenge” because the shot needs to be stored at freezing temperatures, according to Dr. John Burkhardt, Pfizer’s vice president of Global Drug Safety Research and Development.
"We have to keep the product cold and shipped very much in sub-freezing temperatures, then there will be a short term instability, perhaps at refrigerated temperatures and that's going to be a logistical challenge," Burkhardt said Monday at a news conference held by Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont.
"We're working very hard on that," he said. "There's a whole suite of very experienced and talented people at Pfizer who are solely working on this, an army of people, and so it's going to be important to work with the authorities with state governments and others to provide that supply chain."
State health officials have expressed concerns about the requirements for Pfizer’s vaccine, which must be stored at extremely cold temperatures of -94 Fahrenheit (-70 Celsius) -- far below the capacity of standard freezers.
It’s unclear how long Pfizer’s vaccine will offer protection from Covid-19, Burkhardt said. Pfizer will follow the volunteers in the clinical trials for two years "with an emphasis on safety" but will also collect other types of data, he added.
"We just need some time for this to play out," Burkhardt said when asked whether the vaccine might help prevent more severe cases of Covid-19 or asymptomatic cases.
He emphasized Pfizer's years of experience in vaccine development and said "no corners were cut" with this one.
"We followed this tried and true methodology that has worked so well for us in the past and continues to deliver really superior and safe products," he added.
Burkhardt said what was unusual this time was that the company started the manufacturing process at the same time it was developing the vaccine -- something that is not usually done.
"Normally you wouldn't spend $1 billion to manufacture a product that may not work. You wait to see whether it works and whether it's safe and then you do the manufacturing. So, we did that at risk," he said.
Burkhardt also credited "great volunteerism" in getting 43,000 people enrolled in the clinical trials as a time-saver in the development process.
"We also moved over 150 sites for clinical studies, and we were able to really emphasize locations where virus was spreading more quickly," he said.