WHO rejects Covifenz vaccine for tobacco industry affiliation

Designed using tobacco plants by a Quebec laboratory, the Covifenz vaccine was already adopted by the Canadian government. However, the World Health Organization's (WHO) reluctance to fund Philip Morris International (PMI) for this vaccine risks compromising its future.

In October 2020, the biopharmaceutical laboratory Medicago concluded a contract with Canada for the purchase of 20 million doses of its first plant-based vaccine, and an option on 56 million doses. The close ties between Medicago and PMI in the production of this new vaccine were, however, denounced by the WHO, which announced in a document dated March 2, 2022, that this vaccine would not be accepted in the list of treatments approved by the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) program.

A vaccine produced by Philip Morris and Mitsubishi

The vaccine submitted by Medicago for WHO approval was designed from Nicotiana Benthamiana, a plant in the tobacco family.[1] to which an adjuvant produced by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), a partner in the development of this vaccine, was added. The Covifenz vaccine, which is derived from it, should however be the first vaccine produced in the West not to be approved by the WHO, due to the links between Medicago and PMI. The Medicago laboratory is in fact jointly owned by Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation (MTPC, 79%) and by PMI (21%)[2].

The Canadian government not only pre-purchased a large quantity of this vaccine, but also invested 173 million Canadian dollars (about 131 million US dollars) in what was supposed to be the renewal of the Canadian bioindustry. However, Canada is also a party to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), an international health treaty that formally prohibits any commercial relations with tobacco companies.

It is in fact with reference to the FCTC that the WHO has rejected the Covinfenz vaccine. "The WHO and the UN have a very strict policy on links to the tobacco and arms industries, so it is unlikely that it will be accepted into the emergency treatment list.", WHO Deputy Director-General Mariangela Simao said on March 16. Tobacco control organizations had alerted WHO to this issue. "This is not Canada's finest moment in public health", commented Les Hagen, director of the Canadian group Action on Smoking and Health in Edmonton (ASH-Edmonton), "This is undoubtedly a violation of the spirit of the Convention". Health Canada believes that, on the contrary, the FCTC would not prevent work on the development of a vaccine.

Pharmaceutical sector invested by tobacco manufacturers

Tobacco manufacturers have invested heavily in the pharmaceutical sector in recent years. Through its holding company Philip Morris Investments BV (PMIBV), PMI acquired the laboratories Fertin Pharma, OtiTopic and Vectura in 2021, and announced that it was positioning itself as a player in the health and well-being sector, which led to strong reactions from health players[3]British American Tobacco (BAT) is also present in this biotechnology sector through its subsidiary KBio Holdings and has launched into the development of plant-based treatments and vaccines against rare diseases.[4]. This positioning of tobacco manufacturers on the medical market is however considered by the WHO and other parties to the treaty as a clear conflict of interest between the public health imperatives expressed in the FCTC and the trade in tobacco products, which is the source of eight million deaths annually worldwide.

Takashi Nagao, CEO of Medicago, welcomed the fact that the Covifenz vaccine was not rejected because of its therapeutic virtues, but because of its shareholder Philip Morris. He clarified on March 16 that he had not yet received official notification from the WHO on this subject. In July 2020, Medicago announced its intention to distance itself from PMI to avoid potential blockages to its development, which it ultimately encountered due to its failure to establish sufficient distance[6].

Keywords: PMI, BAT, Medicago, Covifenz, Mistubishi, vaccine, COVID-19, FCTC, WHO

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[1] PMI announces Medicago to supply up to 76 million doses of its plant-derived COVID-19 vaccine candidate, Philip Morris International website, published October 24, 2020, accessed March 18, 2022. [2] Snowdon Smith Z, WHO 'Very Likely' Won't Approve Medicago's Covid Vaccine Due To Tobacco Ties, Forbes, published March 16, 2022, accessed March 18, 2022. [3] For STOP, Vectura must now be treated as a player in the tobacco industry, Generation Without Tobacco, published September 22, 2021, consulted March 18, 2022. [4] Gretler C, Medicago Covid Shot Faces WHO Rejection Over Company's Tobacco Links, Bloomberg, published March 16, 2022, accessed March 18, 2022. [5] Lofaro J, WHO pauses approval of Quebec's Medicago COVID-19 vaccine due to tobacco industry ties, CTV News, published March 16, 2022, accessed March 18, 2022. [6] Laframboise K, Medicago's Canada-made COVID-19 vaccine faces WHO rejection due to tobacco industry ties, Global News, modified March 18, 2022, accessed March 21, 2022. National Committee Against Smoking |