CureVac says its COVID-19 vaccine can be stored at standard refrigerator temperature

German biotech company CureVac has announced that its mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine has up to 24 hours of stability when stored at room temperature.

CureVac also said that data for its potential COVID-19 vaccine, CVnCoV, suggests the shot remains stable and within defined specifications for at least three months when stored at a standard refrigerator temperature - +5 °C (+41°F).

Analytical testing of CVnCoV was performed under standard conditions, as defined by the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical requirements, added CureVac.

“We are very encouraged by the emerging stability profile of our COVID-19 vaccine candidate (which shows it is) compatible with standard fridge-temperature storage as well as a required room temperature application,” said Florian von der Mülbe, chief production officer of CureVac.

“This compatibility has the potential both to enable decentralised storage and to significantly facilitate large-scale vaccination efforts during the current pandemic,” she added.

The stability of CVnCoV was tested at the anticipated storage concentration and also stored at +5°C (+41°F) as well as below -60°C (-76°F), with the vaccine fulfilling all set release specifications at both temperatures after three months.

CureVac added that the stability study of the vaccine remains ongoing, with the aim of further evaluating the potential for a longer commercial product shelf-life.

The Tübingen, Germany-headquarter company seems to have overcome a major distribution obstacle that competitors Pfizer and BioNTech are facing.

On Monday, Pfizer and BioNTech announced the first preliminary data from a phase 3 study of their own mRNA-based vaccine candidate – BNT162b2 – which suggested that the shot is over 90% effective.

However, the companies later added that the vaccine must be stored at an ultra-low temperature – below 70C (94F) – raising certain logistical issues if the vaccine receives regulatory approval soon.

Pfizer said that it is already preparing to distribute its COVID-19 vaccine if it wins regulatory approval, with doses already set to go in its warehouses in the US and Europe, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

The WSJ also revealed that Pfizer has designed a ‘new reusable container’ that ensures the vaccine can be kept at the ultra-low temperatures required for up to ten days while it is being transported. These containers can hold between 1,000 and 5,000 doses, according to WSJ.