Seattle -- Scientists at PATH have developed a formulation method that protects vaccines from freeze damage and represents a critical step forward in ensuring the world’s children are receiving fully potent vaccines.
PATH scientists, in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Colorado, published findings in the most recent issue of Vaccine (volume 27, issue 1) that describe how the method preserves the effectiveness of specific types of vaccines even after repeated exposure to freezing. This formulation method is applicable to vaccines containing aluminum adjuvants—including hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus toxoid, and pertussis vaccines. In addition to ensuring vaccine effectiveness, the prevention of freeze damage also means less vaccine wastage, which often occurs when health workers dispose of vaccines suspected to have been exposed to freezing.
To read the full press release, visit the PATH web site.