Canada signs agreement for 76 million doses of potential coronavirus vaccine

The Government of Canada has reached a new agreement with biotech company Novavax to supply 76 million doses of a potential vaccine to COVID-19.

According to the company, the deal will see Novavax’s NVX-CoV2373 vaccine candidate hit the Canadian market as long as it can receive approval from Health Canada. It’s currently in stage two of its clinical trials and could be available as early as the second quarter of 2021.

“We are pleased to work with the Canadian government on supply of our COVID-19 vaccine, an essential step to ensure broad access of our vaccine candidate,” said Stanley C. Erck, president and CEO of Novavax, in a release. “We are moving forward with clinical development of NVX-CoV2373 with a strong sense of urgency in our quest to deliver a vaccine to protect the world.”

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The Phase 2 portion of the clinical trials evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of the new vaccine. Multiple trials began in August in the United States and Australia, and from there will move onto “preliminary evaluation of efficacy.”

“We are pleased to announce this agreement with Novavax, which will give Canadians access to a promising COVID-19 vaccine candidate,” said Anita Anand, Minister of Public Services and Procurement. “This is an important step in our government’s efforts to secure a vaccine to keep Canadians safe and healthy, as the global pandemic evolves.”

According to Novavax, the NVX‑CoV2373 vaccine was engineered from the genetic sequence of SARS‑CoV‑2, the virus that causes COVID-19 disease, and is being developed using part of $2 billion in funding raised for the company’s global coronavirus vaccine program.

The announcedment of the vaccine deal comes days before the regular start of the acidemic year for students across the country, though many school boards have chosen to delay the start as they continue to ready classrooms, teachers, and students for the new regulations within.