# Is there a shelf life for vaccines

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-shelf-life-for-vaccines/89102>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 23, 2001, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-shelf-life-for-vaccines/89102 "2001-10-23T15:54:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![justwannano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ab992/32.png) [@justwannano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justwannano)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-shelf-life-for-vaccines/89102/1 "2001-10-23T15:54:00Z")

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Someone has suggested that there should be a 30,000,000 dose supply of small pox vaccine on hand “just in case”.

It seems to me that if this supply is manufactured all at the same time it will also deteriorate at the same time forcing a rush to manufacture replacement vaccine sometime in the future.  
I realize there may be a rush for this vaccine I’m just wondering if this should even be a concern.

What is this kind of thing likely to cost?  
Do patent rights enter into the equation?  
How long does it take to manufacture vaccine?

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**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-shelf-life-for-vaccines/89102/2 "2001-10-24T03:17:01Z")

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Is there a shelf life for smallpox vaccine?

[http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5010a1.htm](http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5010a1.htm)

> [@](#):
>
> Current supplies of vaccinia vaccine are limited to remaining stores of vaccine that were produced before the discontinuation of production by Wyeth Laboratories, Inc., in 1981. Although viral titer evaluations have indicated that the vaccine has remained potent, additional quantities of vaccine are needed to augment the current stores and replace expired vaccine.

Looks like about 20 years.

> [@](#):
>
> Previous methods of vaccine production that used calf lymph are no longer available; therefore, virus produced for use in a new vaccine must be grown by using a Food and Drug Administration-approved cell-culture substrate. Any new cell-culture vaccine should be evaluated for safety and efficacy by direct comparison with Dryvax by using appropriate animal models, serologic and cell-mediated immunity methods, and cutaneous indicators of successful vaccination (major reaction).

FWIW, here’s how they produce oral polio vaccine using approved cell-culture substrate.

[http://www.geocities.com/issues\_in\_immunization/safety/quality\_control\_polio\_vaccine.htm](http://www.geocities.com/issues_in_immunization/safety/quality_control_polio_vaccine.htm)

What with all the quality control testing, it looks like we’re talking about “weeks”, rather than “days” like in the movies and on _Star Trek_, to produce smallpox vaccine.