Germany’s trans-o-flex has rejected reports that Covid-19 vaccines would have to be stored and transported at -80°, claiming that 2-8° are sufficient for safe transportation.
The express logistics company, which provides national and European temperature-controlled delivery services, believes calls for worldwide networks in which the vaccines can be stored and transported at -80° are due to a lack of expert knowledge.
“Anyone who knows just a little bit about the pharmaceutical industry understands that the hastily communicated temperatures between -20° and -80° are precautions that companies must take until they have valid data on the storage life of their products also at higher temperatures,” explained trans-o-flex CEO Wolfgang P. Albeck.
“In fact, several companies have now confirmed that Covid-19 vaccine candidates retain their efficacy even if they are treated like normal cold chain products, i.e. stored and transported at 2-8°”.
As examples, Albeck cited the companies Biontech and Curevac. Mainz-based Biontech, which is developing a Covid-19 vaccine together with the pharmaceutical company Pfizer, announced at a press conference that its vaccine could be stored at 2-8° for five days.
According to the trans-o-flex chief, Biontech intends to announce further assured results shortly. It can be assumed that the company will certify that its product has a significantly longer stability at refrigerator temperature.
The Tübingen-based company Curevac, which is researching another vaccine candidate against Covid-19, has even confirmed that its vaccine exhibits “stability over several months” at 2-8°.
From all this, trans-o-flex concluded that Covid-19 vaccines are also most likely to be classified as cold chain products that can be safely transported at so-called refrigerator temperature.
“Thanks to our actively temperature-controlled networks, we are therefore optimally prepared for a nationwide distribution of Covid-19 vaccines,” Albeck emphasised.
“Our subsidiary trans-o-flex ThermoMed, which specialises in distribution in the temperature range between 2-8°, can deliver Covid-19 vaccines, just like the influenza vaccines in recent years, to all doctors, pharmacies, hospitals and pharmaceutical wholesalers in Germany and Austria in a safe and transparently documented manner,” he stated.
Trans-o-flex offers express and temperature-controlled deliveries along with contract logistics services for the pharmaceutical industry and other sectors distributing high-end sensitive goods.
