The Montenegrin Institute for Medicines and Medical Devices has informed, in cooperation with the company Pfizer, that the shelf life of Comirnaty vaccines is being extended from nine to 12 months, after this was done at the level of the European Union in April.
CINMED explained that the conditions for storing the vaccine remain the same, at a temperature of minus 90 to minus 60, and that within a period of 12 months, unopened vials can be stored and transported at temperatures of minus 25 to minus 15 during a one-time period of at most two weeks, after which they can return to standard temperature.
"This deadline extension applies to batches that were produced after the approval of the deadline extension. In addition, this extension of the shelf life of an additional three or six months may be retroactively applied to vials that were manufactured prior to approval," the letter to health care providers states.
CINMED explained that batches with an expiration date between December 2021 and March 2022 can be used for another six months after the date printed on the package expires, provided they are stored at a temperature of minus 60 to minus 90 degrees Celsius. The same applies to series that expire between April 2022 and December of this year, and they can be used for another three months after the date marked on the packaging.
It was announced that the series produced next year will have a shelf life of 12 months.
In Montenegro, so far, about 46 percent of the population has been vaccinated with the second dose, while 99.831 residents have received the third, booster dose.
Over a hundred thousand doses of vaccines from different manufacturers have been destroyed in our country so far due to the expiry date.
Montefarma said last month that the expiration date for 39.310 doses of the Moderna vaccine expired in April. Given that Slovenia donated 42.000 doses of this vaccine to Montenegro, this means that only 2.690 doses were consumed in three and a half months.
"Montefarm" then said that the deadline for 33.000 doses of Pfizer vaccines expired in March and April.
Previously, about 28.000 doses of vaccines, most of which were produced by AstraZeneca, were destroyed due to expired expiration dates last fall, while an additional 35.000 doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine were withdrawn in March of this year.
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