Exclusive: U.S. goal to squeeze more COVID shots from Pfizer vials hampered by syringe production

[Mary Wilson]

JANUARY 25, 20217:04 AM UPDATED 8 HOURS AGO
By Carl O’Donnell

(Reuters) - The world’s largest syringe maker does not have the capacity to substantially increase U.S. supplies of specialty syringes needed to squeeze more doses from Pfizer Inc COVID-19 vaccine vials in the coming weeks, an executive said in an interview.

The vaccine made by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech, one of two authorized for U.S. emergency use, is shipped in vials initially indicated to hold five doses. Six doses can be drawn with special syringes, called low dead space syringes, which minimize the amount of vaccine left in the syringe after use.

If healthcare providers can reliably extract the sixth dose it would allow supplies to be stretched 20% further and could be a financial boost for Pfizer, which is paid per dose.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...BN29U1DL?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=twitter

 

[Mary Wilson]

Pfizer Will Ship Fewer Vaccine Vials to Account for ‘Extra’ Doses

After the surprise discovery of an extra dose in every vial, Pfizer executives successfully lobbied the F.D.A. to change the vaccine’s formal authorization language. The company charges by the dose.

By Noah Weiland, Katie Thomas and Sharon LaFranier
Jan. 22, 2021

In December, pharmacists made the happy discovery that they could squeeze an extra vaccine dose out of Pfizer vials that were supposed to contain only five.

Now, it appears, the bill is due. Pfizer plans to count the surprise sixth dose toward its previous commitment of 200 million doses of Covid vaccine by the end of July and therefore will be providing fewer vials than once expected for the United States.

And yet, pharmacists at some vaccination sites say they are still struggling to reliably extract the extra doses, which require the use of a specialty syringe.

... On Jan. 6, Pfizer got what it wanted. The F.D.A. changed the language in its fact sheet for doctors to confirm that the vials contain a sixth dose. The change mirrored similar labeling updates by the World Health Organization and the F.D.A.’s counterpart in the European Union.

... Now, it appears, the bill is due. Pfizer plans to count the surprise sixth dose toward its previous commitment of 200 million doses of Covid vaccine by the end of July and therefore will be providing fewer vials than once expected for the United States.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/22/health/pfizer-vaccine.html