Politics · 6 August 2026
New 'fridge-free' vaccines could stop half of global supply being wasted
Photo by Mufid Majnun on Unsplash
Around half of all vaccines globally become unusable annually, primarily due to excessive heat or cold during transportation and storage. Scientists have now successfully trialled a new tetanus-diphtheria vaccine that stays as a dry powder at room temperature for a year. The "fridge-free" approach, inspired by resurrection plants, gave equivalent immune responses to traditional vaccines.
Reported by BBC · How we write briefs