The World Health Organization (WHO) expects to reject Medicago’s candidate vaccine against COVID-19 due to the pharmaceutical’s ties to the tobacco industry. The “Covifenz” vaccine, from the Quebec-based company Medicago, was approved by Health Canada last month.
Posted at 12:04 p.m.
Dr. Mariângela Simão, WHO’s deputy director-general for access to medicines, vaccines and pharmaceuticals, said on Thursday that Medicago’s application for an emergency use license for Covifenz will likely be denied. , as the organization’s policies have been very strict for many years regarding manufacturers’ ties to tobacco companies and arms manufacturers.
One of Medicago’s minority shareholders is Philip Morris International, a company specializing in the production and distribution of tobacco products.
“At this time, Medicago has not received any official communication from the WHO,” said Medicago spokesperson Camille Riverin, of the firm Tactconseil, by email.
“Our understanding is that the WHO made the decision to pause the approval of the vaccine and that this decision is related to the minority shareholder of Medicago, and not to the efficacy and safety of the vaccine, which have been demonstrated during authorization by Health Canada. Medicago believes that these decisions should be based first and foremost on the quality, efficacy and safety of the vaccine,” the spokesperson continued.
Canada has signed a contract to buy up to 76 million doses of Covifenz, but its vaccine strategy now relies solely on mRNA vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.
The WHO had openly criticized in 2017 the alleged good intentions of Philip Morris towards public health with his Foundation for a world without tobacco.
As the position of the WHO has been known for many years, had Medicago already planned a strategy? Could a new shareholder join Medicago to take over the shares of Philip Morris? “It is too early at this stage to comment, maintains by email the spokesperson for Medicago, considering that the WHO has not announced its official decision and that Medicago has not received any official communication from them. . Unfortunately, I cannot tell you more at the moment. »
If the WHO denies Medicago’s request, Canada will not be able to donate doses of Covifenz to COVAX.
The Medicago vaccine was approved for use by Health Canada on February 24 for people 18 to 64 years old. The safety and effectiveness of this vaccine in people younger than 18 and older than 64 have not yet been determined.
With The Canadian Press