Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine COMIRNATY® Receives Full Health Canada Approval for Individuals 12 Years and Older

• Health Canada Notice of Compliance is based on a comprehensive submission package including six-month efficacy and safety data after second dose

KIRKLAND, QC & MAINZ, Germany, Sept. 16, 2021 /CNW/ - Pfizer Canada ULC and BioNTech SE today announced that Health Canada has granted full approval (Notice of Compliance or NOC) for COMIRNATY® to prevent COVID-19 in individuals 12 years of age and older.

The vaccine was initially authorized for use in Canada under an Interim Order Authorization on December 9, 2020 and has been referred to as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine. The authorization permitted essential rollout of vaccine doses across Canada to help provide protection during the COVID-19 pandemic, based on preclinical and clinical data, including initial data from the Phase 3 clinical trial.

Although the vaccine's brand name will be COMIRNATY following this approval, Canada will continue to receive vials of the vaccine labeled as Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine. The formulation for Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine is the same formulation as COMIRNATY and they are considered interchangeable by Health Canada to provide the COVID-19 vaccination series. Given the current ongoing pandemic, a gradual transition to new labeling with the COMIRNATY brand name will occur at a later date.

For this full approval (Notice of Compliance; "NOC") of the New Drug Submission (NDS), Pfizer and BioNTech submitted a comprehensive data package that included longer-term follow-up data from the Phase 3 trial, where the vaccine's efficacy and safety profile were observed up to six months after the second dose. The NDS package also included the manufacturing and facilities data required for licensure.

"Based on the longer-term follow-up data that we submitted, today's decision by Health Canada affirms the efficacy and safety profile of our vaccine at a time when it is urgently needed," said Fabien Paquette, Vaccines Lead, Pfizer Canada. "While a significant number of eligible Canadians are fully vaccinated, there is still much work to be done as infection and hospitalization rates continue to rise across the country, primarily among unvaccinated populations."  

"Today's full approval is a testament to the vaccine's efficacy and safety profile," said Ugur Sahin, M.D., CEO and Co-founder of BioNTech. "Our companies have shipped more than 1.4 billion doses worldwide, and we will continue to work tirelessly to broaden the access to our vaccine and to be prepared for potential emerging escape variants."

COMIRNATY, which is based on BioNTech's proprietary mRNA technology, was developed by both BioNTech and Pfizer. BioNTech is the Marketing Authorization Holder in Canada, the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom, and the holder of emergency use authorizations or equivalents in the United States (jointly with Pfizer) and other countries. Submissions to pursue regulatory approvals in those countries where emergency use authorizations or equivalent were initially granted are planned.

About Pfizer Canada
Pfizer Canada ULC is the Canadian operation of Pfizer Inc., one of the world's leading biopharmaceutical companies. Our diversified health care portfolio includes some of the world's best known and most prescribed medicines and vaccines. We apply science and our global resources to improve the health and well-being of Canadians at every stage of life. Our commitment is reflected in everything we do, from our disease awareness initiatives to our community partnerships. To learn more about Pfizer Canada, visit pfizer.ca or you can follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.

About BioNTech
Biopharmaceutical New Technologies is a next generation immunotherapy company pioneering novel therapies for cancer and other serious diseases. The Company exploits a wide array of computational discovery and therapeutic drug platforms for the rapid development of novel biopharmaceuticals. Its broad portfolio of oncology product candidates includes individualized and off-the-shelf mRNA-based therapies, innovative chimeric antigen receptor T cells, bi-specific checkpoint immuno-modulators, targeted cancer antibodies and small molecules. Based on its deep expertise in mRNA vaccine development and in-house manufacturing capabilities, BioNTech and its collaborators are developing multiple mRNA vaccine candidates for a range of infectious diseases alongside its diverse oncology pipeline. BioNTech has established a broad set of relationships with multiple global pharmaceutical collaborators, including Genmab, Sanofi, Bayer Animal Health, Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, Regeneron, Genevant, Fosun Pharma, and Pfizer. For more information, please visit www.BioNTech.de.

For further information

Pfizer Canada:
Christina Antoniou
Corporate Affairs Canada
1-866-9PFIZER (1-866-973-4937)
[email protected]

BioNTech:
Jasmina Alatovic
Media Relations
[phone]
[email protected] 

SOURCE Pfizer Canada Inc.