Canada should have known that the World Health Organization would probably not accept Medicago’s COVID-19 vaccine because of its close ties to tobacco giant Philip Morris – before deciding to invest millions of taxpayers’ money in the company. The WHO told CBC News on March 25 that the biopharmaceutical company ‘s request for an emergency use of the Covifenz vaccine had “was not accepteddue to the “connection of the company with the tobacco industry” and was now “on hold”. Marlboro cigarette maker Philip Morris International owns 21 percent of Medicago and the WHO has reiterated that it has long had a “strict policy” on “non-cooperation with tobacco companies” and that Medicago had been informed for the decision. This leaves the Medicago vaccine at a dead end, as the federal government gave the company $ 173 million in 2020 to develop the vaccine, build a new plant and purchase 20 million doses with an option for 56 million more. Canada has approved the vaccine and is expected to distribute it next month, but it is the only country so far and the use of the vaccine worldwide would be severely hampered without WHO approval. “Medicago must now face the consequences of its choice,” said Dr. Gaston de Serres, an epidemiologist at the National Institutes of Public Health in Quebec (INSPQ). “It’s not something they overlooked. It is a decision they made realizing the implications, the understanding that this would be a big problem when dealing with the WHO.”

Medicago knew that working with the WHO would be “difficult”

De Serres said the problems that Medicago would have with obtaining a vaccine for COVID-19 with close links to the WHO-approved tobacco industry were “quite obvious” and that the federal government “should have known” that this the issue would arise before investing the. “They would not have to work hard to learn that Philip Morris was also a major shareholder,” he said. “And I think the WHO is fully entitled to say that tobacco is the biggest cause of preventable premature death and that we do not want to have anything to do with the tobacco industry.” Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been more than six million confirmed deaths from COVID-19 worldwide. The WHO estimates Tobacco kills more than eight million people each year. Medicago produces the vaccine with the plant species Nicotiana benthamiana, a close relative of the tobacco plant used for medicinal development – mainly because of the large number of viruses that can successfully infect it. However, the WHO policy on Big Tobacco is no secret and Canada has signed the legally binding WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2005 pledged to “protect” public health policies “from the commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry”. Medicago produces its vaccine with a plant species that is closely related to the tobacco plant and is used for medicinal development. (Turgut Yeter / CBC)
A spokesman for the Public Health Service of Canada (PHAC) told CBC News that the federal government had “carefully considered its investment in Medicago” and believed it was still “complying with its tobacco control treaty obligations”. with WHO. But Medicago said World News last year he even had trouble getting an “official invitation” to attend WHO meetings and was never able to enter “through the big door”. “WHO loves product and technology, but has to deal with the fact that tobacco supports us,” said Nathalie Landry, executive vice president of science and medicine at Medicago, in a January 2021 interview. “It’s difficult for Medicago to relate to the WHO.”

Can tobacco companies “redeem themselves”?

It is also not the first time a Canadian health product has been challenged for WHO approval for controversial links with the tobacco industry. The experimental drug for Ebola ZMappdeveloped in part at the PHAC National Microbiological Laboratory, encountered similar obstacles to obtaining WHO authorization for emergency use during the devastating Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014. before it is finally approved. “We have seen this problem with the WHO in the past and may need to consider this policy regarding their involvement with tobacco,” said Alison Thompson, an associate professor of bioethics at the University of Toronto. “It is no longer as simple as saying that we will not go to bed with tobacco or that no one in tobacco should take advantage of it, because it is a possible way for the tobacco industry to be acquired.” But Dr Gary Kobinger, a Canadian immunologist and virologist at Galveston National Laboratory at the University of Texas who helped develop Zmapp, said investors were similarly reluctant to fund the drug for its links to US tobacco company Reynolds. The solution is to get Philip Morris out of Medicago and if the WHO does not approve the vaccine … then it will be an expensive lesson.- Cyntia Callard, Physicians for a Smoke-free Canada
“I understand politics [the WHO] has in place. We all do it. “The question is, what is the solution?” He said. “Can the entities that were found guilty of causing so many human deaths be redeemed? Can they produce life-saving solutions and contribute, with or without profit, to saving lives now?” Kobinger said he did not believe the tobacco industry was “essential for vaccine development”, but that if they were involved in developing new vaccines, they should at least ensure that they could obtain WHO approval before bringing them to market. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, speaks at a press conference in Geneva on December 20, 2021. WHO officials now say they have not yet made a final decision on whether or not to continue the revision of the Medicago vaccine. (Salvatore Di Nolfi / The Associated Press)

WHO discusses the “trend” of investments in the tobacco industry

WHO officials now say they have not yet made a final decision on whether or not to continue the Medicago vaccine review and are in ongoing talks on how to better address the “general trend” of tobacco companies investing in the healthcare sector. Asked by CBC News during a virtual press conference on Wednesday when the final decision on the shooting could be made, Mariangela Simao, WHO Assistant Director-General for Access to Medicines, Vaccines and Pharmaceuticals, said she could to come soon. “We are seeing a growing global trend in the tobacco industry to diversify its portfolio by engaging with the pharmaceutical industry,” he said. “So this process is still pending, but we have to have a decision on whether or not to continue the process in the coming weeks.” CLOCKS What does the WHO decision on the Medicago vaccine mean for Canada:

Quebec Medicago vaccine for COVID-19 tackles WHO rejection of company tobacco bonds

Canada Tonight Medical Associate, Dr. Samir Gupta talks to Ginella Massa about Quebec’s Medicago vaccine for COVID-19, which is being rejected by the WHO and what it means for Canadians. 5:08

Do you “throw away” technology due to smoke bundles?

Alyson Kelvin, a virologist at the Vaccine and Infectious Diseases Organization (VIDO) at the University of Saskatchewan, said tobacco plants have been used for scientific discovery for years and could lead to a promising vaccine technology in the future. “We understand that tobacco is probably the most dangerous plant in the world, causing the most deaths – but are we throwing away all this technology because of it?” he said. “Medicago technology is strong. It led to a fantastic vaccine with a good safety profile and good efficacy. I feel there is a way forward that needs to be explored and it is unfortunate that there are links with tobacco companies.” The vaccine was 71 percent more effective against all variants studied before the advent of Omicron, and even slightly higher for the Delta variant at 75 percent against infections of any severity, according to data released by Medicago in December. Minister for International Development Harjit Sajjan urged the WHO to approve Medicago so that 20 million doses can be given to the Global Vaccine Sharing Initiative COVAX and is used in countries with lower vaccination rates. The Medicago vaccine was 71 percent effective against all variants before Omicron, and even slightly higher for the Delta variant at 75 percent against COVID-19 infections of any severity, according to data released by the company in December. (Turgut Yeter / CBC)
However, WHO officials said on Wednesday that the supply of COVID-19 vaccines in lower-income countries has indeed “stabilized” this year due to donations from COVAX, despite the fact that a third of the world has not yet received the first dose – including 83 per African cent. Thompson, a bioethicist, said that if the WHO finally approved the Medicago vaccine, it would be a way for Canada to address the global inequalities it has contributed to with the accumulation of vaccines. “There are competitive disadvantages here – there is the evil of allowing Philip Morris to potentially benefit from it, but there is also the evil of withdrawing the opportunity for millions of people to get a vaccine,” he said. “And I think I know which way to go – I think the moral significance of saving a life is greater.”

Canada is working on “solutions” with Medicago

Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne said last week that the federal government is working with Medicago to find a solution “because we want this vaccine to be available to the world.” Conservative MPs called on Champagne and Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos this week to respond to the WHO decision on the WHO decision and explain what the federal government is saying …