Patricia Gauthier, president and general manager of Moderna Canada, says the application for the combination vaccine, known as the divalent vaccine, was submitted to the Canadian regulator on Thursday. If approved quickly, the installments could be ready for Canadians as early as September, he said. “Everyone wants a bivouac and they want it for the beginning of autumn. That is why we are working very closely with the federal government to finalize the number of installments they want and when, so that we can meet Canada’s needs. “
Read more: Moderna aims to release Covid-19 Omicron vaccine this fall
The story goes on under the ad Global News has requested confirmation from Health Canada that it has received this request, but has not yet received a response. Combining both the SARS-CoV-2 ancestral strain first identified in Wuhan and the Omicron variant BA.1 subtype, Moderna says its vaccine provides broader protection, including some immunity to the rapidly spreading B4 variants and Omicron BA.5, which now accounts for at least half of all coronavirus cases in the United States. “With the new variants of concern emerging, we need to use the mRNA platform to help us stay, perhaps not ahead of it, but at least up to date with it and really relevant to the new variants of concern that are emerging,” Gauthier said. . Preliminary results from the Moderna study show that people who received the combination vaccine had a greater boost in Omicron-fighting antibodies than if they had just received a fourth dose of the original vaccine. “So this is a really important protection,” Gauthier said. 2:14 Feds suspends Canada COVID-19 vaccine order on planes and trains Feds suspends Canada COVID-19 vaccine order on planes and trains – June 20, 2022 The company also says that its bivalent vaccine has the same safety profile as the original Health Canada approved Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, only it has been updated with the new variant. The story goes on under the ad Earlier on Thursday, Canada’s chief health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, said Canada was still awaiting detailed data from vaccine manufacturers on new vaccine formulations for approval and that the timing and availability of these new vaccines would depend on the steps taken. As soon as possible. He spoke of the importance of vaccines that offer better protection against emerging variants of concern. “I think at the moment… looking for ways to broaden immune coverage and the immune response would be a very important goal.” The appearance and vaccine-resistant variants prompted the World Health Organization to call on Wednesday for accelerated efforts and incentives to develop a pancreatic vaccine for worldwide use.
Read more: US FDA supports COVID-19 boosts adapted to Omicron BA.4, BA.5
On Thursday, the US Food and Drug Administration advised COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers to change the design of their booster vaccines starting this fall to include components adapted to combat the currently dominant Omicron BA subtypes. and BA.5 of the coronavirus. The FDA also suggested that it could approve the new downloads before completing studies that would test them in humans. Annual changes in flu vaccines do not require new tests. Meanwhile, one of the key issues for the release of any new COVID-19 vaccine is supply. This is something that Canadian health officials do not yet know about any of the new vaccines being proposed by various manufacturers, Tam said, so it is unclear if any new vaccines could be dropped. The story goes on under the ad When the first COVID-19 vaccines were approved in late 2020, countries found it difficult to get enough doses. In Canada, provinces and regions had to prioritize doses for the most vulnerable as they waited for larger stocks of vaccines.
Read more: Canadians urged to receive boost shots for COVID-19 before possible tidal wave
Gauthier says Moderna was not equipped with a global supply chain for its products at the time, so it had to increase its operations to meet global demand. The company has since evolved from these initial growing pains, he said. “I think we are now in a position where we have a very high production capacity,” Gauthier said. But with global demand for this new plan high, the company is working with the federal government to determine how many installments it would need if approved by regulators.
Read more: COVID-19 boosters recommended this fall ahead of future pandemic wave, says NACI
Gauthier did not comment on the company’s contractual relationship with Canada, but said it had established a “strong partnership” with the country. “What I can say is that when the vaccine is approved, there are doses that will come quickly to the country. “Then the question is: how much more do we have to bring after that to meet the needs of Canadians?” The story goes on under the ad Pfizer and BioNTech are also testing several potentially adapted COVID-19 vaccines, including a bivalent candidate similar to Moderna. – with files from the Associated Press and Reuters. Related News © 2022 Global News, part of Corus Entertainment Inc.
