Pharmacists have found a way to squeeze extra doses out of vials of Pfizer’s vaccine, potentially expanding the nation’s scarce supply by up to 40 percent.
The Food and Drug Administration said late Wednesday that those extra doses could be used, clearing up confusion that had caused some pharmacists to throw away leftover vaccine for fear of violating the rules the agency set last week.
An FDA spokesman told the news outlet Wednesday that it was informing health providers that “it is acceptable to use every full dose obtainable.”
The news comes after hundreds of extra doses of the vaccine, which was already in short supply, were apparently thrown away over the past few days, according to Politico.
Manufacturers typically overfill vaccine vials to safeguard against spills and other waste, said Erin Fox, a pharmacy expert at University of Utah who monitors drug shortages. “It’s pretty unusual to have a full extra dose or more though – but it does seem to be there!” she said in an email.
While the news offers extra strength to the market optimism, traders are currently concentrating on the US COVID-19 stimulus headlines with skeptic’s eyes.
