Canadian-made COVID-19 vaccine begins clinical trials

Canadian biotech company Providence Therapeutics announced earlier this week that it is ready to send its COVID-19 vaccine into Phase 1 clinical trials. The Canadian-made vaccine uses similar mRNA technology as the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines that have already been approved and begun distribution. Providence is working with Northern RNA, another Calgary-based firm, to build a facility in that city to produce the vaccine here in Canada, rather than outsourcing production elsewhere.

Brad Sorenson, founder of Providence, says they are “very confident we’re going to have a good vaccine,” based on years of working with mRNA technology, and adds that they are seeking more funding support from the federal government to ramp up production quickly once it begins. Though their vaccine is unlikely to be ready until early 2022, given the distribution difficulties and shortages that have already occurred with the two approved vaccines, the company is confident there will still be a need for it, given that we can't go back to "normal" until approximately six billion people are vaccinated worldwide. Truly, the more vaccines available, the better, so this is a step in the right direction.

Source: Calgary Herald