Medicago Inc.’s COVID-19 vaccine is poised to become the first western shot to be rejected by the World Health Organization (WHO), because of the company’s links to cigarette maker Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI), reports Bloomberg.

The Canadian biopharma company’s application for pre-qualification of its Covifenz vaccine was not accepted, according to the WHO’s guidance document dated 2 March. That means the WHO is unlikely to approve the vaccine for emergency use, which would also keep it out of the Covax global vaccine-sharing facility, the report said.
“Due to its connections — it’s partially owned by Philip Morris — the process is put on hold,” Mariangela Simao, WHO’s assistant director-general for drug access, vaccines and pharmaceuticals, said at a media briefing on 16 March. “The WHO and the UN have a very strict policy regarding engagement with the tobacco and arms industry, so it’s very likely it won’t be accepted for emergency use listing.”
Covifenz is the world’s first plant-based Covid vaccine. It was jointly developed by Medicago, owned by Mitsubishi Chemical and Philip Morris, and Glaxo. The Canadian government has supported its development with USD 173 million and is so far the only country that has cleared it for use, the report said.
Anti-tobacco groups argue that financing and approving a drug that has links to the tobacco industry violates the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control which came into force in 2005.
Canada has carefully studied the government’s investment in Medicago and considers that it is compliant with its treaty obligations, a spokeswoman for Health Canada wrote in an emailed response to questions. She said the treaty doesn’t preclude the government from working with Medicago on vaccine development and procurement to ensure that a ready and effective supply of vaccines is available for its population. “The Department’s interactions with the tobacco industry will continue to be transparent in accordance with Health Canada’s openness and transparency requirements and in alignment with guidelines under the WHO FCTC,” she wrote.
Medicago’ CEO Takashi Nagao said that the company hadn’t yet received any official communication from the WHO. “It is our understanding that this decision is linked to Medicago’s minority shareholder and not the demonstrated safety and efficacy profile of our Covid-19 vaccine,” he was quoted as saying.
Medicago has a contract with the Canadian government to supply up to 76 million doses of the vaccine and is in talks with other countries about potential agreements, Nagao has said.
“Even if it’s not a violation of the letter, it’s definitely a violation of the spirit of the convention,” said Les Hagen, executive director at Action on Smoking and Health in Edmonton, a public health charity. “This is not Canada’s proudest moment in public health.”