Canadian drug developer Medicago said on Tuesday it had started a late-stage study of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine combined with a booster from GlaxoSmithKline.
The study plans to eventually enroll 30,000 participants and initially focus on healthy adults, followed by adults over the age of 65 and those with co-morbidities.
Medicago, which has Canada’s most advanced COVID-19 vaccine project under development, expects to report results from a mid-stage trial of the vaccine in April.
The Medicago vaccine uses a technology known as virus-like particles, which mimics the structure of the coronavirus, but contain no genetic material from it.
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It can be stored at normal fridge temperatures, of 2 C to 8 C, which provides it a logistical benefit.
In phase one of its clinical trials, 100 per cent of people who received its COVID-19 vaccine developed significant antibody responses with no severe adverse effects.
The phase 3 trial is expected to involve 30,000 people in 11 countries — including Canada — and will ultimately determine if the vaccine protects people from COVID-19. The vaccine requires two doses, 21 days apart, and if approved by Health Canada, could be in the arms of Canadians by the second half of this year.
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In March, the federal government announced it would fund Medicago’s COVID-19 vaccine efforts. Seven months later, the federal government signed an agreement worth up to $173 million to accelerate Medicago’s vaccine development, secure doses, and complete the manufacturing plant.
— with files from Global News’ Carolyn Jarvis and Emanuela Campanella
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