Medicago submits Phase 3 data to Health Canada for its plant-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate

QUEBEC CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Medicago, Inc. a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Quebec City, is pleased to announce submission of the positive Phase 3 data for regulatory review by Health Canada as part of the New Drug Submission for COVID (NDS-CV) rolling review for Medicago’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate combined with GSK’s pandemic adjuvant. Medicago is seeking review and approval for the vaccine candidate for indication in healthy adults, aged 18 years and above.

“We are pleased to submit our Phase 3 data as the final portion of the rolling submission for our COVID-19 vaccine candidate for review,” said Dr. Judith Atkins, Vice-President of Regulatory Affairs at Medicago. “We are grateful to Health Canada for their review, and we hope this brings Canadians and the world one step closer to having greater vaccine diversity.”

Thomas Breuer, Chief Global Health Officer, GSK, added: “We are one step closer to our goal of making this innovative adjuvanted, plant-based vaccine available. As a refrigerator-stable option that builds on our established adjuvant technology, we are hopeful it will play an important role in the efforts to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The New Drug Submission for COVID (NDS-CV) process allowed the submission of nonclinical sections, quality, clinical safety, and efficacy information as they became available for Health Canada’s immediate review to accelerate the overall review process. Submitting the Phase 3 data completes the submission process.

The regulatory filing process for the COVID-19 vaccine candidate has been initiated with the FDA (US) and MHRA (UK). Preliminary discussion is underway with the WHO for preparation of the submission. A Phase 1/2 trial has also been initiated in Japan where Medicago plans to submit for regulatory approval in combination with the Phase 2/3 global study results next spring. The vaccine candidate has not yet been approved by any health authorities.

“If authorized, Medicago’s COVID-19 vaccine would be the world’s first ever plant-based vaccine approved for human use,” said Takashi Nagao, CEO and President of Medicago. “It would also be the first Canadian vaccine approved in over 20 years, signaling a powerful step forward for Canada’s vaccine preparedness strategy.”

About Medicago

Medicago is on a mission to help improve global public health using the power of plants. Founded in 1999 with the belief that innovative approaches and rigorous research would bring new solutions in healthcare, Medicago is a pioneer in plant-based therapeutics. We are proudly rooted in Quebec, with manufacturing capacity in both Canada and the US. Our passionate and curious team of over 500 scientific experts and employees are dedicated to using our technology to provide rapid responses to emerging global health challenges, and to advancing therapeutics against life-threatening diseases worldwide. Medicago is an affiliated company of Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation. For more information: www.medicago.com

About Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation

Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation (MTPC) Group, the majority parent company of Medicago, is one of the large Japanese pharmaceutical companies, with its headquarters in Osaka, Japan. It positions vaccines as one of its key R&D areas under its Medium-Term Management Plan 21-25 and is also working to develop new modalities of vaccines. MTPC Group will further contribute to the prevention of infectious diseases which is one of the world’s important social issues, by delivering a new option of plant-based VLP vaccine as a new type of vaccine. For further information please visit https://www.mt-pharma.co.jp/e/.

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