BioNTech nearing request for approval of longer-lasting version of COVID vaccine

[May 04, 2021]  LONDON (Reuters) - BioNTech is working on getting approval for a version of its COVID-19 vaccine which can be stored in fridges of 2 to 8 degree celsius for up to 6 months, Chief Executive Ugur Sahin said on Tuesday.

"Our first formulation had to be stored and shipped at minus 80 degrees. We have now, in the meantime, a formulation which is not yet approved... which can be stored at two to eight degrees," Sahin told a Financial Times conference panel, adding that data packages were being prepared for regulators.

"We will most likely reach six months stability at two to eight degrees," he said of the vaccine, which is being made with Pfizer.

(Reporting by Alistair Smout and Ludwig Burger, editing by Louise Heavens)

[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content