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Medicago, a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Quebec City, announced that it reached an agreement with Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) to supply up to 76 million doses of its vaccine candidate for COVID-19, subject to Health Canada approval. Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED), another department of the Canadian federal government, will contribute C$173million (or approximately $131million to Medicago to support its ongoing vaccine development and clinical trials, and for the construction of its Quebec City manufacturing facility.
The Canada-headquartered biopharmaceutical company is using a virus-like particle (VLP) grown in Nicotiana Benthamiana, a close relative of the tobacco plant, to develop its coronavirus vaccine candidate.
PMI’s CEO André Calantzopoulos said: “We welcome the collaboration announced between two departments of the Canadian government and Medicago to accelerate its efforts against COVID-19.
“Better outcomes can be achieved when governments and companies join efforts to promote shared objectives for the greater good. We are pleased to be able to support Medicago’s work to develop, substantiate, manufacture, and make available a COVID-19 vaccine candidate. We all hope they will be successful.”
Rather than working with animal products or live viruses, Medicago is disrupting the traditional approach to vaccines and therapeutics by using VLPs to develop protein-based vaccines.
These products mimic viruses, enabling the body’s immune system to recognize them and create an immune response. But they don’t have the core genetic material of a virus, meaning they’re not infectious and can’t replicate.
