Plug pulled on Quebec vaccine maker

• The Quebec government says it's looking to find a buyer for Medicago Inc., the Quebec-based COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer that will be shut down by parent company Mitsubishi Chemical.

Quebec Economy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon said Friday the province has had preliminary talks with potential buyers in the pharmaceutical sector to keep Medicago's expertise and skilled workforce in Quebec. He said both the Quebec and federal governments would be willing to put in money to secure a deal.

“We can't operate it ourselves; the government will not be the main shareholder,” Fitzgibbon said. “But if there is a pharmaceutical company that considers it's worth continuing, we're ready to help.”

Mitsubishi Chemical said Thursday it would stop marketing the Medicago-produced Covifenz vaccine, which is plant-based and was approved by Health Canada one year ago for adults aged 18 to 64.

The Japanese chemical company said it had been preparing to commercially produce the Covifenz vaccine but decided against doing so because of the “significant changes” in the COVID-19 vaccine environment. The company said it would dissolve Medicago because it is no longer “viable.”

“In light of significant changes to the COVID-19 vaccine landscape since the approval of Covifenz, and after a comprehensive review of the current global demand and market environment for COVID-19 vaccines and Medicago's challenges in transitioning to commercial-scale production, the (company) has determined that it will not pursue the commercialization of Covifenz,” Mitsubishi Chemical said in a statement.

Canada invested $173 million in Medicago in 2020 to support development of the Covifenz vaccine and help Medicago expand its production facility in Quebec City.

A spokesperson for Innovation, Science and Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said discussions with Quebec about next steps are ongoing. “Medicago's contribution to Canada's biomanufacturing and life sciences ecosystem is important because of their innovative plant-based vaccine technology,” Laurie Bouchard said.

“Protecting the health and safety of Canadians is our government's top priority, including ensuring we have sufficient domestic vaccine production capacity to protect against future infectious disease threats and pandemics.”

Fitzgibbon said the company informed the province at the end of December it intended to pull the plug.

In May 2015, Quebec and Ottawa announced loans of $60 million and $8 million, respectively, for the construction of a complex in the Quebec City region to house Medicago's activities.

“The challenge is not (getting the loan repaid), it's how we can save the jobs, save this company,” Fitzgibbon said.