Health Canada is set to complete its reviews of the Novavax and Medicago COVID-19 vaccines 鈥渋n the coming weeks,鈥 according to the agency鈥檚 deputy minister.
鈥淭he Health Canada dedicated regulatory teams for each submission are working very hard at these. They are dependent on information from the companies to complete those reviews, but we expect to be making decisions on both vaccines in the coming weeks,鈥 said Health Canada Deputy Minister Stephen Lucas, facing questions from MPs at the House of Commons Health Committee on Tuesday.
If authorized , these vaccines would become the first COVID-19 vaccines to be made in Canada.
While Novavax is a Maryland-based company, in February 2021鈥 facing pressure over Canada鈥檚 depleted domestic vaccine manufacturing capacity鈥 the federal government signed a deal with Novavax to produce its COVID-19 vaccine at a new Montreal facility. That facility with the aim of producing vaccines in early 2022. Health Canada has been reviewing Novavax鈥檚 protein-based COVID-19 vaccine since January 2021.
Medicago, which is headquartered in Quebec, has had their COVID-19 vaccine under review by Health Canada since April 2021. The federal government has committed $173 million towards the plant-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate and the eventual Canadian production of it in Quebec City.
NDP MP Don Davies and Conservative MP Ryan Williams both asked about the status of these reviews at Tuesday鈥檚 meeting citing interest in having made-in-Canada options as well as other offerings to potentially address vaccine hesitancy.
The securing up to 76 million doses each of the Medicago and Novavax vaccines, should they be required.
Asked at the meeting how soon Canadian production of COVID-19 vaccines could happen, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos could not give an answer.
