Medicago’s COVID-19 vaccine rejected by WHO over its tobacco ties

	WHO authorization is vital to be a part of the COVAX global vaccine program.
	Canada has already agreed to purchase at least 76 million Medicago COVID-19 vaccines. 


Medicago Inc., whose COVID-19 vaccine has already been approved in Canada, is now reportedly facing limited growth as the World Health Organization refused to review its vaccine given that the company is partly owned by Swiss American tobacco manufacturing company, Philip Morris International Inc.

The WHO confirmed that the reason behind not accepting the application for the vaccine was according to its 2005 public health treaty which bars any kind of involvement with companies that promote or produce tobacco-based products.

A WHO authorization is the key to making the vaccine part of the COVAX global vaccine program for low-income countries. While many of the emerging nations in the world are vaccinated, countries like Africa are still in desperate need of vaccination.

Thus, the WHO’s approval will prove to be fruitful for the countries that lack their drug regulatory infrastructure. Medicago has pitched to the WHO that those new vaccines will be available by the next pandemic, while the company is also working on developing flu vaccines.

According to experts, WHO standards will pose a barrier to the uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine. The only way Medicago can now move forward is by approaching the U.S. & European regulators and any other individual countries’ regulators one by one and attain their approvals.

It is worth noting that Canada has already invested millions in development funding for Medicago and has even agreed to purchase 76 million doses, stating that it requires a domestic bio-manufacturing unit to prepare for future pandemics. Moreover, Health Canada believes that it is in adherence to the WHO tobacco treaty.

Source Credits:

https://money.usnews.com/investing/news/articles/2022-03-27/medicagos-tobacco-ties-jeopardize-growth-of-its-covid-shot