Canada loses its bonus dose

SIX IN A VIAL

OTTAWA • Canada has agreed to let drug giant pfizer relabel its COVID-19 vaccine, allowing the company to ship the same amount of product here, but get credit for another dose in every vial.

when pfizer first applied for regulatory approval for its vaccine, the company indicated every vial contained five doses. But nurses giving the shots quickly found they were able to extract a sixth dose, especially with so-called special low-dead space syringes.

pfizer asked Health Canada to recognize that change and on tuesday, the agency agreed following the same move from regulators in the U.s. and european Union.

pfizer’s contract with Canada and other countries is based on the doses it delivers, not the individual vials, meaning the company can now more quickly meet its contractual obligations. the company isn’t changing its manufacturing process, but is committed to working with the provinces on any complaints if the vials come up short.

Dr. supriya sharma, Health Canada chief medical advisor, said they worked with the company and looked at volumes of research on the issue and were convinced, with the right equipment and training, it should be possible to get the extra dose.