Pfizer Kicks Off COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery Pilot in Four States

Pfizer announced that it has launched a delivery and distribution pilot program for its COVID-19 vaccine in four U.S. states to determine how to handle challenges posed by the candidate’s ultra-low temperature requirements.

The company selected New Mexico, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Texas to participate in the program due to their differing sizes, populations and immunization infrastructures, and their need to distribute coronavirus vaccines to varied urban and rural areas. Pfizer made clear that the states will not be receiving vaccine doses ahead of other states or getting any special treatment due to their participation in the pilot.

Pfizer’s mRNA-based vaccine candidate may be very promising, having recently shown an efficacy rate exceeding 90 percent in its late-stage trial’s first interim analysis (DID, Nov. 10). But it’s likely to face serious distribution hurdles because it must be shipped at -94 Fahrenheit (F). Through the pilot program, the drugmaker and the four states will be aiming to figure out how to ship the vaccine quickly and effectively with the ultra-cold temperature requirements in mind.

“We are hopeful that results from this vaccine delivery pilot will serve as the model for other U.S. states and international governments, as they prepare to implement effective COVID-19 vaccine programs,” said Angela Hwang, group president of the Pfizer Biopharmaceuticals Group. “This pilot program … will help us prepare for broader vaccine deployment in the near future, subject to authorization or approval.”

The drugmaker added that it has been collaborating with Operation Warp Speed officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to ensure fast and fair distribution of the vaccine candidate should it receive Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) or full approval. Pfizer should be ready to file for an EUA as soon as this week, according to its previous projections.

Pfizer and its development partner, BioNTech, have not accepted U.S. government development funding for their coronavirus vaccine, but have agreed to a $1.95 billion supply deal that nets the U.S. 100 million doses, with an option for 500 additional doses (DID, July 23).

Pfizer said it expects to produce up to 50 million doses of its vaccine for global use in 2020 and up to 1.3 billion doses next year. — James Miessler