Would be nice if it worked.
OTTAWA – A homegrown mRNA vaccine for COVID-19 shows promising results in its first small trial and its maker is hoping to test it directly against the vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech.
Calgary-based Providence Therapeutics says its vaccine produced no serious adverse events and developed good antibodies against COVID-19 that “compare favourably” with the two mRNA vaccines already on the market from Pfizer and Moderna.
The Phase 1 trial included 60 healthy adults between 18 and 64, with more than half of them receiving two doses of the vaccine, four weeks apart.
The results have not yet been peer-reviewed.
Providence Therapeutics CEO Brad Sorenson says the company is extremely pleased with the results but feels like it’s not getting the support or recognition it deserves from Ottawa.
Sorenson says he needs 500 Pfizer doses to move to the Phase 2 head-to-head trial but hasn’t been able to get those doses from the company or Health Canada.
A spokesman for federal Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne says Providence has received almost $10 million in federal funding to date, and the company has been told Ottawa is also committed to supporting it through its Phase 2 trial.
Two days after Ontario became the latest province to put a pause on administering the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, the military general leading Canada’s vaccine rollout says the country will have enough shots for anyone who received one dose to get a second.
Major-General Dany Fortin says the federal government received roughly 655,000 doses of AstraZeneca today from the global vaccine-sharing program known as COVAX.
“This situation with AstraZeneca is evolving,” said Fortin.
“We will work with the provinces in terms of their supply needs. We want to ensure everyone that sufficient supply will be available for those that want a second dose of AstraZeneca or who cannot take an mRNA vaccine.”
Ontario is halting first doses citing a rare but serious blood-clotting issue linked to the shot.
Premier Doug Ford is pledging that all adults in the province will be offered their second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of summer.
He told reporters today that a so-called “one-dose summer” – as promised by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau earlier this week – is not good enough.
Ford’s office later told The Canadian Press that the aim is to fully immunize all willing adults in Ontario by September 22.
The government also announced today that it will start administering the Pfizer vaccine to children aged 12 to 17 starting the week of May 31.
www.680news.com
OTTAWA – A homegrown mRNA vaccine for COVID-19 shows promising results in its first small trial and its maker is hoping to test it directly against the vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech.
Calgary-based Providence Therapeutics says its vaccine produced no serious adverse events and developed good antibodies against COVID-19 that “compare favourably” with the two mRNA vaccines already on the market from Pfizer and Moderna.
The Phase 1 trial included 60 healthy adults between 18 and 64, with more than half of them receiving two doses of the vaccine, four weeks apart.
The results have not yet been peer-reviewed.
Providence Therapeutics CEO Brad Sorenson says the company is extremely pleased with the results but feels like it’s not getting the support or recognition it deserves from Ottawa.
Sorenson says he needs 500 Pfizer doses to move to the Phase 2 head-to-head trial but hasn’t been able to get those doses from the company or Health Canada.
A spokesman for federal Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne says Providence has received almost $10 million in federal funding to date, and the company has been told Ottawa is also committed to supporting it through its Phase 2 trial.
Two days after Ontario became the latest province to put a pause on administering the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, the military general leading Canada’s vaccine rollout says the country will have enough shots for anyone who received one dose to get a second.
Major-General Dany Fortin says the federal government received roughly 655,000 doses of AstraZeneca today from the global vaccine-sharing program known as COVAX.
“This situation with AstraZeneca is evolving,” said Fortin.
“We will work with the provinces in terms of their supply needs. We want to ensure everyone that sufficient supply will be available for those that want a second dose of AstraZeneca or who cannot take an mRNA vaccine.”
Ontario is halting first doses citing a rare but serious blood-clotting issue linked to the shot.
Premier Doug Ford is pledging that all adults in the province will be offered their second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of summer.
He told reporters today that a so-called “one-dose summer” – as promised by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau earlier this week – is not good enough.
Ford’s office later told The Canadian Press that the aim is to fully immunize all willing adults in Ontario by September 22.
The government also announced today that it will start administering the Pfizer vaccine to children aged 12 to 17 starting the week of May 31.
Canadian maker of promising mRNA vaccine looks to test it against Pfizer in new trial
Premier Doug Ford is pledging that all adults in the province will be offered their second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of summer.
www.680news.com
