Quebec-based Medicago reports promising early Phase 1 test results of possible COVID-19 vaccine

QUEBEC — Quebec City-based Medicago says it has received promising early test results for its plant-derived vaccine for COVID-19.

The company says interim results of a Phase 1 clinical trial found that 100 per cent of subjects developed a promising antibody response after two doses of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

Medicago says the side effects were generally mild to moderate and short in duration.

The Phase 1 clinical trial was a randomized, partially blinded study of 180 healthy people.

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Based on the Phase 1 data, Medicago plans to proceed with a Phase 2/3 clinical trial for its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, subject to regulatory approval.

The federal government has signed a $173-million contract with Medicago to secure the rights to buy 76 million doses of its vaccine, should it meet health and safety standards.

Pfizer releases promising early data

News from Medicago came after promising news from Pfizer was announced.

The American pharmaceutical company said on Monday that late-stage trials of its COVID-19 vaccine are showing promising results.

Data verified by an independent monitor suggests the drug, developed in partnership with German-based BioNTech, is 90 per cent effective in stopping transmission of COVID-19 among people who have not been previously infected.

However, Monday’s announcement doesn’t mean a vaccine is imminent: This interim analysis looks at 94 infections recorded so far in a study of nearly 44,000 people in the U.S. and five other countries.

Authorities have stressed it’s unlikely any vaccine will arrive much before the end of the year, and limited initial supplies will be rationed. Experts say Canadians won’t be lining up for a vaccine anytime in the near future.