Canadian firm Medicago, partly owned by Philip Morris Investments, a part of Philip Morris International, has announced that it is developing a plant-based vaccine against coronavirus disease which it hopes to submit for approval by the US Food and Drug Administration very soon. If approved, the company expects to begin human trials by July or August.
Bruce Clark, Medicago’s c.e.o., said the company could produce as many as 10 million doses a month and the vaccine could become available by November 2021.
Medicago already uses a plant-based technology to develop vaccines for seasonal flu, using tobacco plants as a bioreactor in what the firm describes as a faster and more efficient process of producing proteins that can be used as a vaccine than using eggs. The process also makes the vaccine easier to produce at scale. Medicago researchers discovered that tobacco, with its ideal big leaves, is better as a subject plant because it is hearty and grows quickly.
Medicago has also begun using its technology platform to develop antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, which could potentially be used to treat people infected by the virus, in collaboration with the Laval University’s Infectious Disease Research Centre, headed by Gary Kobinger, who helped develop a vaccine and treatment for Ebola.