Moderna may have a logistical edge

MASSACHUSETTS: One of the biggest challenges to delivering a promising coronavirus vaccine based on unprecedented technology to millions around the world just got easier.

When Pfizer Inc. announced effective preliminary results for its vaccine candidate last week, the downside was that it must be stored at ultra-cold temperatures, posing significant logistical issues. But Moderna Inc. on Monday one-upped its rival, offering a vaccine based on the same technology that appears to be equally effective, but which also can be stored at regular refrigerated temperatures for up to a month.

The difference is significant. Delivering normal vaccines to populations in the remotest regions from India to Africa is difficult enough just on supply and transport issues. The temperature factor introduces a far more daunting hurdle. “The Moderna vaccine is a much more viable option for lowand middle-income countries than the Pfizer vaccine,” said Rachel Silverman, a Washington-based policy fellow at the Center for Global Development. “Cold-storage needs are less extreme.”

Not only can Moderna’s vaccine remain stable in the fridge for 30 days, it can also be kept in ordinary freezers for longterm use. Pfizer’s vaccine has to be kept at negative 70 degrees and could only be refrigerated for up to five days—at least until its researchers are able to match Moderna’s breakthrough.