Medicago Inc. cut ties with cigarette maker Philip Morris International Inc. after the World Health Organization (WHO) rejected the Canadian company’s covid-19 vaccine, according to a tobacco control body.
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Covifenz, the world’s first plant-based covid vaccine, It was jointly developed by Medicago, owned by Mitsubishi Chemical, Philip Morris, and Glaxo. The Canadian government, which provided US$173 million in financing for its development, authorized its use.
“Tobacco corporations, vaccines and governments do not mix well and we applaud the removal of Philip Morris from the Medicago collaboration”, said Les Hagen, executive director of the non-profit organization ASH Canada, in a statement issued on Monday the 26th.
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At the beginning of the year, the WHO rejected Medicago’s request to be included in the list of medicines for emergency use due to his ties to the tobacco industry.
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