• Medicago, a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Quebec City, is pleased to report interim results of the Phase 1 clinical trial of its plant-derived vaccine for COVID-19.  The results of the trial demonstrated that 100 per cent of subjects developed a promising antibody response after two doses of Medicago’s COVID-19 adjuvanted vaccine candidate. Medicago is a biopharmaceutical company and pioneer in plant-derived therapeutics. Founded in 1999 with the belief that innovative approaches and rigorous research would bring new solutions in healthcare.

• Providence Therapeutics (Toronto): Similar to that of Pfizer and Moderna, this vaccine uses mRNA tech, which prompts the body to make proteins that can ward off the virus. 

• Entos Pharmaceuticals (Edmonton): A DNA-based vaccine that delivers genes from SARS-CoV-2 into the body, inducing a strong antibody response, as well as a potent, balanced T cell response.
• Immunoprecise Antibodies (Victoria): Pieces of viral protein are injected, teaching the immune system to recognize them; this technique is also being used by Novavax. 
• IMV (Halifax): Another protein-based vaccine using peptides, which are tiny pieces of protein that can be produced artificially.
• Mediphage Bioceuticals and the University of Waterloo (Toronto/Waterloo): Administered as a nasal spray, this candidate mimics the route of infection of SARS-CoV-2 and targets the right cells in the lungs and lower respiratory tract. 
• Symvivo (Burnaby): Another DNA solution that doesn’t require a needle, this medicine would be swallowed like the oral polio vaccine.
• Symvivo is a clinical-stage gene therapy company developing oral DNA vaccines for the treatment of life-threatening infectious diseases. In rapid response to the COVID-19 global health crisis, the company began research and development efforts leveraging its novel bacTRL Gene Therapy Program to study the protective potential of oral DNA vaccine candidate, bacTRL-Spike, for the prevention of COVID-19.

Source: Mars, Impact Week Publication. Barry Chong.

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Hundreds of heads of state and global health leaders made an unprecedented commitment to work together to accelerate the development and production of new vaccines, tests and treatments for COVID-19 and assure equitable access worldwide.

“We will only halt COVID-19 through solidarity,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Countries, health partners, manufacturers, and the private sector must act together and ensure that the fruits of science and research can benefit everybody.”

Health leaders from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), GAVI-the Vaccine Alliance, the Global Fund, UNITAID, the Wellcome Trust, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (IFRC), the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers (IFPMA), the Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers’ Network (DCVMN), and the International Generic and Biosimilar Medicines Association (IGBA) committed to come together, guided by a common vision of a planet protected from human suffering and the devastating social and economic consequences of COVID-19, to launch this groundbreaking collaboration.

They are joined by two Special Envoys: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Gavi Board Chair and Sir Andrew Witty, former CEO of GlaxoSmithKline.

Gavi’s impact draws on the strengths of its core partners, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and plays a critical role in strengthening primary health care (PHC), bringing us closer to the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), ensuring that no one is left behind.

The fact that Canada, as a high income country, has entered into early contracts for preferred access to vaccines is being perceived to be two tier healthcare by the members of GAVI and the world community.

This is a wicked problem for the leaders in Canada as they exercise their duty to protect all Canadians.

We respect the challenge inherent in this wicked problem.

Raymond Rupert, patient advocate and healthcare consultant.

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