US Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech will begin testing a freeze-dried version of its COVID-19 vaccine that will need no ultra-cold storage conditions in April. This may ease the burden related to storage of the drug.
The freeze-dried vaccine will be tested on volunteers aged between 18- 55. The trails will be conducted to know if this freeze-dried version will be as effective and safe as the original one.
If the results are successful, the alternative version of the vaccine maybe ready for use by early next year. Manufacturers of the vaccine initially required storage temperatures from 76 to 112 degrees Fahrenheit below zero.
This is a serious challenge for distributing vaccines especially among less-developed nations without the cold chain infrastructure.
