WASHINGTON, D.C., April 25, 2019 /CNW Telbec/ - Medicago, a Canadian biotech company and global leader in the development and production of plant-derived vaccines, announced today that its proprietary plant-based production platform, Proficia® was named "Best New Vaccine Technology/platform" at the World Vaccine Congress in Washington, D.C., attended by 1,500 participants including key opinion leaders from the vaccine industry. The Vaccine Industry Excellence (ViE) Awards recognize the outstanding achievements of vaccine practitioners and stakeholders across the global vaccine industry.
"It is very gratifying to see that our technology is again being recognized as innovative in our industry", said Bruce Clark, President & Chief Executive Officer of Medicago. "Winning this award as the best new technology in the eyes of leading experts in the vaccine industry is an important validation of the value of our plant-based technology to vaccine and antibody development."
Developed in Quebec City, Medicago's technology has the potential to rapidly respond to surging threats by producing vaccines or therapeutic antibodies in the face of an outbreak such as pandemic influenza. Our data has shown that the Proficia® platform can:
- Rapidly deliver a pandemic vaccine candidate in 5 to 6 weeks
- Accurately match the selected strain as a result of its recombinant technology
- Easily scale vaccine production as one plant or 10,000 plants require the same growth conditions
Medicago's platform versatility has been demonstrated for the production of vaccines and antibodies. In 2012, in the context of DARPA's Blue Angel program, the company successfully proved its platform capacity to produce 10 million doses of a candidate H1N1 pandemic vaccine in one month at its manufacturing plant in North Carolina. Medicago's influenza development program includes a pandemic, a seasonal and a universal flu vaccine. In addition to flu vaccines, in 2015, Medicago successfully completed a contract with the U.S. government (BARDA) to produce anti-Ebola antibodies.
On top of this newly received award, Medicago's platform Proficia® was awarded the "Game-changing Technology Award in 2014, by BIOTECanada". This prize recognized an organization that had made a significant contribution to the biotech industry in Canada through the innovative plant-based vaccine production platform.
In 2018, Medicago broke ground on the new $245 million manufacturing complex in Quebec City that will include the company's headquarters, research and development as well as production facilities. The company plans to produce annually 40 to 50 million doses of quadrivalent vaccines against seasonal influenza. In 2019, Medicago will achieve a key milestone by completing Phase III clinical studies in adults and elderly subjects.
About World Vaccine Congress
The World Vaccine Congress remains the industry's definitive vaccine industry event for major vaccine players. Officially the longest-running and largest vaccine industry event in North America, the World Vaccine Congress delivers a forum where the ever-changing dynamics of the vaccine industry are discussed and acted upon by the industry's most senior figures.
About Medicago
Medicago is a Canadian clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with more than 450 employees in Canada and the United States. Medicago's mission is to improve global health outcomes by leveraging innovative plant-based technologies for rapid responses to emerging global health challenges.
Pour plus de détails : www.medicago.com
SOURCE Medicago
For further information: TACT Intelligence-conseil, Marie-Pier Côté, [email protected], 418 999-4847
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