Plans for a plant-based covid vaccine are shut down. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
It looks like the first plant-based COVID-19 vaccine has withered on the vine. Medicago, the Quebec City, Canada drug manufacturer has announced that it is closing down operations.
While Health Canada has approved Medicago’s plant-based vaccine, the World Health Organization (WHO) has officially given notice that Medicago’s vaccine will not receive its approval. That decision is based on what some within the research community see as a WHO policy technicality. The plant host utilized in Medicago’s vaccine is a relative of the tobacco plant and the WHO has a strict, longstanding policy against engaging with tobacco products and companies. As well, Phillip-Morris, a major tobacco company, holds a 21 percent investment stake in Medicago. Based on those facts, the WHO has officially declined to give its approval for the Medicago vaccine.
In late 2021, Health Canada approved Medicago’s vaccine. Clinical trials showed 71 percent effectiveness.
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Sabrina Halvorson
National Correspondent / AgNet Media, Inc.
Sabrina Halvorson is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster, and public speaker who specializes in agriculture. She primarily reports on legislative issues and hosts The AgNet Weekly podcast. Sabrina is a native of California’s agriculture-rich Central Valley.