Pfizer said Friday it will ship fewer CCP virus vaccine vials after finding an extra dose in each vial.
“We will fulfill our delivery commitments in accordance with our existing agreements – which are based on the delivery of doses, not vials – and are confident that we will be able to deliver 200 million doses of our vaccine to the US government by July 31, Pfizer spokesman told news outlets.
“In a situation of limited vaccine supply amid a public health crisis, our intention with this label change is to provide clarity to healthcare providers, minimize vaccine wastage and enable the most efficient use of the vaccine.”
Each vial contains a specific number of doses. When administration of the vaccine began late last year, health personnel were told that each vial contained five doses. They are now told each vial contains six doses, according to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) documents, although labels on the vials may state that there are only five doses in a vial.
Marion Gruber, director of the administration’s Office of Vaccines Research and Review, said in a letter to Pfizer earlier this month that the FDA agreed with Pfizer “that there were six 0.3 ml doses in a single bottle of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID. -19 Vaccine. “
“Accordingly, we also agree with related updates to the Vaccine Administer Information Sheet (Vaccination Providers), which clarify that, after dilution, one vial of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine contains six 0.3 ml doses,” Gruber said.
Pfizer is required to ship 200 million doses to the United States by July 31, under agreements made during the Trump administration.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), meanwhile, said Friday that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are not interchangeable.
The messenger RNA vaccines are the only two approved in the United States for use against COVID-19, the disease caused by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus.
Patients receive two injections several weeks apart.
“The safety and efficacy of a range of blended products have not been evaluated. Both doses of the series must be supplemented with the same product, ”the CDC stated in updated guidelines.
“In exceptional situations where the vaccine cannot be determined with the first dose or is no longer available, any available mRNA COVID-19 vaccine may be administered with a minimum interval of 28 days between doses every mRNA COVID-19 vaccination series. complete, ”it added.