WHO reviewing policy after rejecting emergency use of Canadian-made COVID-19 vaccine

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OTTAWA — The World Well being Group says it’s reviewing its insurance policies after opting to not settle for a made-in-Canada COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use.

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Well being Canada approved Medicago’s two-dose Covifenz vaccine in February for adults 18 to 64.

WHO didn’t settle for Medicago’s software to be added to the listing of vaccines accepted on an emergency foundation as a result of it has a strict coverage to not interact with corporations that promote tobacco, and Philip Morris owns about one-fifth of the corporate.

“Medicago was knowledgeable of this determination and has been apprised of WHO’s insurance policies on tobacco,” the WHO mentioned in a press release Friday.

That coverage may change, because the WHO enters into discussions to discover completely different coverage choices for well being merchandise linked to the tobacco business.

“WHO is at the moment holding discussions on the way to deal with a basic pattern of the tobacco business investing within the well being business,” the group mentioned.

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Medicago’s software may very well be reviewed as soon as WHO decides.

The WHO has approved 10 COVID-19 vaccines for an emergency-use licence, together with Pfizer, Moderna, Oxford-AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson.

The corporate mentioned Friday it’s nonetheless ready to listen to from WHO concerning the particular rationale for not approving its vaccine.

“As soon as we obtain this, we’ll assessment the rationale and proceed to debate subsequent steps with our companions and shareholders,” Medicago president Takashi Nagao mentioned in a press release.

Medicago has created the one COVID-19 shot that makes use of vaccine-like particles grown in a plant.

The federal authorities signed an settlement with Medicago in 2020 to purchase 20 million doses as soon as the vaccine was accepted by Well being Canada, with an choice to buy 56 million extra.

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The federal government’s capability to donate these doses to international locations in want may very well be severely impeded with out WHO emergency approval.

A WHO emergency-use licence is required for a vaccine for use by the COVAX vaccine-sharing alliance, the principle mechanism for serving to get vaccines to individuals in international locations that may’t afford to purchase them.

With out WHO approval, Canada gained’t be capable to donate any of its doses to the alliance, which is determined for them to succeed in its purpose of vaccinating 70 per cent of individuals in each nation by July.

Well being Minister Jean-Yves Duclos says he desires to see the Medicago vaccines assist shield individuals from COVID-19 around the globe.

“We all know that Well being Canada has accepted that vaccine due to its very excessive stage of security and its unimaginable stage of effectivity, however we all know that it needs to be helpful exterior of Canada,” he mentioned throughout a press convention Friday.

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He mentioned he would work with the corporate and Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne in hopes of convincing WHO to rethink its preliminary determination on the Medicago vaccine.

The doses usually are not instantly wanted in Canada, as greater than 89 per cent of adults over the age of 18 have already had two doses of an accepted vaccine as of March 20, the Public Well being Company of Canada’s knowledge exhibits.

Medicago’s pictures may turn out to be useful as a part of Canada’s home vaccine technique later although, Duclos mentioned.

“We have to shield towards these new variants and people new waves. Defending means enlarging the set of instruments that we can draw on when these new variants and these new waves will come,” he mentioned.