Medicago Starts Human Trials of Covid Vaccine

Medicago, a Quebec-based biotechnology company backed by Philip Morris International as well as other large investors, has begun human testing for its Covid-19 vaccine, reports Bloomberg.

The vaccine is derived from the plant nicotiana benthamiana, a close relative to tobacco, to provoke an immune response to the virus.

Medicago’s human trials will involve 180 patients ages 18 to 55. It will test various doses of the vaccine, both alone and combined with two adjuvants—one from GlaxoSmithKline and another from Dynavax Technologies.

If the trial is successful, Medicago plans to start late-stage trials in October and manufacture 100 million doses by the end of next year.