New vaccine production method could extend shelf life, reduce costs

Researchers in Mexico have developed a new method to produce vaccines that could extend vaccine shelf life, reduce costs, and eliminate the need for cooling, according to a new study.1 “Our platform facilitates the production of recombinant vaccines and reduces the costly purification process usually associated with vaccine development and synthesis,” corresponding author Luis Vaca, MD, PhD, of the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, told Drug Topics. Vaccines currently available also must be maintained at 4 degrees Celsius from the time they are produced until they are injected in patients. “This is called the cold-chain and according to several studies it can represent up to 80% of the vaccine cost,” Vaca said. “The need for constant cold-chain complicates vaccine distribution in rural areas where there is no electricity and keeping the vaccines at 4 degrees Celsius for weeks is not feasible.” The vaccine production process developed by Vaca and other researchers doesn’t require the...