Medicago to Shut Down Despite COVID-19 Vaccine Approval

Mitsubishi Chemical Group has shut down Quebec-based Medicago’s operations “in light of significant changes to the COVID-19 vaccine landscape” since the approval of the company’s plant-based COVID-19 vaccine.

Health Canada approved Medicago’s adjuvanted tobacco-based COVID-19 vaccine Covifenz in February 2022 for people aged 18 to 64 years old. In clinical trials, the vaccine was 71 percent effective against symptomatic infection and 100 percent effective against severe disease.

Medicago had planned to develop vaccines for several other conditions, including seasonal flu, rotavirus and norovirus infections.