COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by a Canadian company will “very likely” not get the green light for emergency use by the World Health Organization (WHO) due to its ties to the tobacco industry.Dr.
Mariângela Simão, WHO’s assistant director-general for access to medicines and health products, spoke about the vaccine during a press briefing Wednesday.“Due to its connections — it’s owned by tobacco company Philip Morris International — so the process is put on hold because it’s well known that the WHO and UN have a very strict policy regarding engagement with tobacco and arms industries,” she said. “So the process is on hold.“It’s very likely that it will not be accepted for emergency list using by WHO.” Medicago’s Canada-made COVID-19 vaccine approved by Health Canada A guidance document from WHO on its website from March 2 shows the evaluation process for each COVID-19 vaccine submitted for review.
Medicago’s COVID-19 vaccine is listed as “not accepted” in the organization’s expression of interest phase.The Quebec-based biopharmaceutical company’s vaccine marks the world’s first-ever plant-based jab for human use.