Pfizer Will Ship Fewer Vaccine Vials to Account for 'Extra' Doses
Source: New York Times
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. “Now there’s more pressure to make sure that you get that sixth dose out,” said Michael Ganio, the senior director for pharmacy practice and quality at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.
For weeks, Pfizer executives pushed officials at the Food and Drug Administration to change the wording of the vaccine’s so-called emergency use authorization so that it formally acknowledged that the vials contained six doses, not five. The distinction was critical: Pfizer’s contract with the federal government requires that it be paid by the dose.At one point, Pfizer executives lashed out at the top federal vaccine regulator over the government’s reluctance to budge on the request, according to people familiar with the discussions who were not authorized to discuss them.
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 mirrors similar labeling updates by the World Health Organization and the F.D.A.’s counterpart in the European Union. Company officials, including the chief executive, Dr. Albert Bourla, have said that the sixth dose allows Pfizer to stretch its supply of scarce vaccine even further — it was one factor, for example, in the company’s new estimates that it will be able to manufacture two billion doses for the world this year, instead of the 1.3 billion it had originally planned. A Pfizer spokeswoman, Amy Rose, said the company would “fulfill our supply commitments in line with our existing agreements — which are based on delivery of doses, not vials.”
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/22/health/covid-vaccine-pfizer-extra-doses.html
I read where one of the efforts was to get more of the "low volume" syringes so they can get that extra "dose" out of the vial.
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They're making way more dough selling the same vaccine to other countries, including our so-called allies. We're being allocated because profit $ is the deciding factor. Why don't they just admit it and be done with this stupid fakery?
I know I won't get vaccinated for at least 6 more months, maybe longer. AND I'm within a stone's throw of 70 years of age. You younger ones will be waiting even longer.
Let's cut the BS and the stupid excuses. Thank Chump for this, in case you hadn't guessed.
