Half of vaccines are binned
UK scientists have successfully trialled a 'fridge-free' vaccine that uses a sugar-based stabilization technique to remain effective at room temperature. This innovation could significantly reduce vaccine wastage and improve access in remote or resource-poor regions.
Why it matters
Eliminating the 'cold chain' requirement could revolutionize global health logistics and drastically increase immunization rates in developing nations.
Share Save Add as preferred on Google James Gallagher Health and science correspondent NIHR Hannah Kedzia taking part in the clinical trial in April 2025 Vaccines that do not need to be kept cool in a fridge have been successfully trialled in patients for the first time, say UK scientists.
Currently, most vaccines need to be refrigerated or frozen - but around half are wasted each year, mainly because they become unusable after getting too hot or too cold.
In the trial, which involved 60 volunteers, company Stablepharma converted a liquid tetanus-diphtheria vaccine into a "fridge-free" version by keeping it as a dry powder for a year at room temperature before mixing it with water and injecting it.
Vaccines often need strict temperature control during storage and transportation, from the moment of manufacture up until being injected into a patient's arm.
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