Quebec vaccine developer Medicago parts ways with tobacco giant
The Montreal-based COVID-19 vaccine developer Medicago has parted ways with tobacco giant Philip Morris.
The Quebec government said in June that it would help the company replace Philip Morris as a shareholder.
Medicago Inc. majority owner Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma announced on Monday that it has removed Philip Morris as a secondary investor following the World Health Organization's rejection of Medicago's Covifenz vaccine in March due to the corporate ties.
It is news that anti-smoking advocates are applauding.
"Tobacco corporations, vaccines and governments don't mix well and we applaud the expulsion of Philip Morris from the Medicago collaboration," said Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) executive director Les Hagen. "However, the control of one pandemic should not come at the expense of another. We are relieved that Canadian governments have washed their hands of this unethical and embarrassing collaboration with a tobacco giant."
The Covifenz vaccine is the only one manufactured in Canada, which invested $173 million in the company in 2020. Health Canada licensed the jab for adults in February.
Mitsubishi is a 79 per cent shareholder in Medicago and the Marlboro producer - Philip Morris - owned the balance. Mitsubishi now owns 100 per cent of the company.
Philip Morris said in a statement that Medicago being owned by a single shareholder is the most "appropriate way forward."
"We have long believed in the public health potential of Medicago's innovative approach for developing new plant-based vaccines and we hope this potential is realized for the benefit of global public health," said spokesperson Corey Henry in an email.
The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC) prohibits tobacco industry players from collaborating in participating countries.
ASH says Canada has been defying this treaty by not avoiding tobacco industry interference.
"Now that Philip Morris has been ejected from this collaboration, we urge Canadian governments to fully comply with the treaty by closing the barn door on any future tobacco industry partnerships," said Corporate Accountability's tobacco campaign director Daniel Dorado. "The WHO FCTC is intended to shield governments from tobacco industry influence and collusion. We encourage all countries to meet their obligations under this important public health treaty to prevent any future industry manipulation and interference. Canada is viewed as a world leader in tobacco control. If Canada is vulnerable to tobacco industry interference, then so are many other countries."
Health Canada spokesperson Mark Johnson said that the agreement was not violated and that it "studied the matter of its investment in Medicago carefully and considers that it is compliant with its treaty obligations."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Liberal MP says she's leaving politics over disrespectful dialogue, threats, misogyny
Liberal MP Pam Damoff says she won't run again in the next federal election, saying she has experienced misogyny, disrespectful dialogue in politics and threats to her life.
Concerns about Plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall Plexiglass barriers.
Federal employees will be required to spend 3 days a week in the office
Starting in September, public servants in the core public administration will be required to work in the office a minimum of three days a week. The Treasury Board Secretariat says executives will need to be in the office four days per week.
OPP officer said 'someone's going to get hurt' before wrong-way Hwy. 401 crash
As multiple Durham police cruisers were chasing a robbery suspect on the wrong side of Highway 401 Monday night, an Ontario Provincial Police officer shared his concerns, telling a dispatcher, "Someone's going to get hurt."
Ont. woman who faked pregnancy to defraud doulas arrested again on similar charges
Victims of a Brantford, Ont., woman who was sentenced to house arrest earlier this year for defrauding and deceiving doulas say they’re not surprised she’s been apprehended again on similar charges.
Eating disorders among youth skyrocketed during pandemic and so did associated costs, report finds
The number of young people experiencing eating disorders surged during the height of the pandemic as the social and economic costs skyrocketed too, a new pan-Canadian report has found.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Göring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Poilievre returns to House unrepentant for calling Trudeau 'wacko,' Speaker not resigning
An unrepentant Pierre Poilievre returned to the House of Commons on Wednesday to pepper the prime minister about his drug decriminalization policies after being booted the day prior for refusing to take back calling Justin Trudeau 'wacko' over his approach to the issue.
Toddler of Phoenix first responder dies after bounce house goes airborne
A two-year-old child died after a strong gust of wind sent the bounce house he was in airborne and into a neighbouring lot in central Arizona, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said.