Medicago Covifenz Quebec Canada COVID-19 vaccine plant-based
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Health Canada approves Quebec’s plant-based COVID-19 vaccine by Medicago

by Lorraine Carpenter

“It is a great milestone for Canada’s biotechnology sector and for homegrown innovation.”

Quebec City biopharmaceutical company Medicago has announced that its plant-based COVID-19 vaccine Covifenz has been approved by Health Canada, which will hold a press conference on the subject at 11 a.m. this morning. Along with being the first plant-based COVID-19 vaccine, it is also the first one made entirely in Canada. The company’s Phase 3 data was submitted for regulatory review in December.

“The approval of our COVID-19 vaccine is a significant milestone for Canada in the fight against the pandemic. We appreciate Health Canada’s timely review. We’re also grateful for the Government of Canada’s support in the development of this new vaccine, and we are manufacturing doses to start fulfilling its order.”

—Takashi Nagao, Medicago President/CEO

Innovation, Science and Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said that the development of this two-dose vaccine, which is intended for 18- to 64-year-olds, is a significant step towards bolstering a sector that has been in decline.

“As one of our government’s top priorities has been to reverse the 40-year decline faced by Canada’s biomanufacturing sector, we are pleased to see Medicago’s vaccine approval. It is a great milestone for Canada’s biotechnology sector and for homegrown innovation. We will continue to support companies that want to produce vaccines in Canada and join the growing national biomanufacturing sector.”

—François-Philippe Champagne

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by Lorraine Carpenter

Editor in chief
Lorraine Carpenter was born in Montreal and studied communications and journalism at Concordia. She co-founded Cult MTL in 2012 following 12 years at the now-defunct Montreal alt weekly the Mirror, where she worked in editorial as copy editor and music editor. She’s dedicated to supporting the cultural scene in Montreal.