Canadians who have been unable or unwilling to receive an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine now have the option to take the Medicago Covifenz vaccine after it was first approved for use in February, the country’s vaccine advisory council says.
Following the authorization, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) issued a guidance Friday to provinces and territories on the use of the Medicago Covifenz vaccine, the first COVID-19 vaccine to be developed by a Canada-based company.
Medicago is the first plant-based virus-like particle vaccine in the country.
“While mRNA vaccines are strongly recommended, Medicago is another option that provinces and territories may offer to people 18-64 years of age,” NACI said in a tweet.
New guidelines
NACI said it continues to recommend the use of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines for most people due to the very good protection they provide, and that they should be offered to individuals without contraindications to the vaccine.
According to Health Canada, a contraindication is a situation in which a drug, such as a vaccine, should not be used because the risk outweighs any potential therapeutic benefit.
However, for people who do have contraindications to the mRNA vaccines, NACI suggests the Medicago Covifenz COVID-19 vaccine would be a good option.
Lastly, NACI recommends that a viral vector COVID-19 vaccine, such as AstraZeneca and Janssen, may be offered to individuals in the authorized age group without contraindications to the vaccine only when all other authorized COVID-19 vaccines are contraindicated.
Clinical trials show the Medicago Covifenz COVID-19 vaccine has a good safety profile and was 71 per cent effective at preventing confirmed symptomatic COVID-19 disease in the short term, prior to the circulation of Omicron, according to a statement by NACI.
The vaccine is a two-dose regimen that must be administered 21 days apart, based on evidence from clinical trials.
Some side effects have been shown after taking the vaccine, such as headache and muscles aches, but NACI stated that they were typically mild and resolved within one to three days.
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“No serious safety concerns related to the Medicago Covifenz COVID-19 vaccine were identified in clinical trials. In general, clinical trials are too small to detect the risk of rare and very rare safety events,” said NACI.
People may receive two doses of the Medicago Covifenz COVID-19 vaccine or a mixed dose with another COVID-19 vaccine at the discretion of a health-care provider.
“If receiving a mixed primary series with the Medicago Covifenz COVID-19 vaccine, informed consent should include a discussion of the benefits and potential risks, given the absence of data on mixed schedules with the Medicago Covifenz COVID-19 vaccine,” NACI stated.
In the meantime, NACI said it will continue to monitor the emerging evidence as this vaccine is used more widely.
How is it different from mRna vaccines?
The Medicago Covifenz COVID-19 vaccine, which is plant-based, “uses living plants as bioreactors to produce a non-infectious particle that mimics the target virus, without the use of any viruses,” according to the company.
The technology produces virus-like particles (VLP) for the protein vaccines, which mimic the actual coronavirus and can be easily picked up by the immune system. VLPs are not infectious and unable to replicate.
Pfizer’s and Moderna’s vaccines are mRNA-based. In each of the bodies’ cells, DNA produces messenger RNA (mRNA) containing the templates for making proteins. It’s called messenger RNA because it carries that information to other parts of the cell, where the instructions are read and followed to produce specific proteins.
The mRNA vaccines are essentially a blueprint for the cells, instructing them to make a specific protein that’s found in the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. When the cells make that protein, the immune system gets trained to recognize it, building antibodies that will help a person fight off COVID-19 should they contract it.
–with files from Reuters and Global News’ Ahmar Khan
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