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Novavax touts non-mRNA COVID vaccine, future of domestic production remains uncertain

Oct 4, 2023 | 12:47 PM

OTTAWA — The last remaining manufacturer to offer an alternative to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines in Canada is boasting about the importance of having several available vaccine options — though the company is providing little certainty about its ability to manufacture the shot domestically.

Maryland-based Novavax held a press conference to tout the safety and efficacy of its updated vaccine, which targets more recent strains of COVID-19, and the importance of having an option for people who can’t or won’t accept an mRNA shot.

The new formulation is awaiting Health Canada approval.

The federal government has promised to make the Novavax vaccine in Canada at the purpose-built National Research Council’s biologics manufacturing centre in Montreal, but it has not yet been approved to start bulk production.