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
Trump confronts repeated boos during raucous Libertarian convention speech
Donald Trump was booed repeatedly while addressing Saturday night’s Libertarian Party National Convention.
This type of screen time has the worst effect on kids: experts
According to some experts, there is one type of screen time that is continuously excessive, and it's having a severe effect on our children.
Family of toddler found dead at small-town Ont. daycare no closer to answers after year of investigation
A year has passed since two-year-old Vienna Irwin was found on the property of a home-based daycare in small-town Ontario, but her family says they are no closer to answers of what happened that day.
Grayson Murray, two-time PGA Tour winner, dead at 30
Two-time PGA Tour winner Grayson Murray died Saturday morning at age 30, one day after he withdrew from the Charles Schwab Cup Challenge at Colonial.
Humboldt Broncos crash victims and families react to decision to deport truck driver
The family of one of the victims of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash in 2018 says they are 'thankful' for a decision by a Calgary immigration board to deport the driver of the truck involved.
Fatal plane crash reported near Squamish, B.C.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has confirmed it is working with local Mounties and the BC Coroners Service after a plane crash near Squamish, B.C. Friday night.
'God forgives but we don’t': Loud outburst from stabbing victim’s family during sentencing hearing
An emotional outburst in a London, Ont. courtroom Friday disrupted the sentencing hearing of a woman who pleaded guilty for her part in the death of 29-year-old Mohammed Abdallah.
Three dead after vehicle plunged down a 100-foot embankment in Shediac, N.B.
Three people have died after a vehicle veered off the road in Shediac N.B., Friday morning.
Appeal denied for Edmonton soldier accused of trying to kill her 3 children
An Edmonton woman found guilty of trying to kill her three children has been denied an appeal.